

















































































































ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

EDMUND THICKSTUN 



























































































































ADVENTURES IN 
EVANGELISM 


BY 

EDMUND THICKSTUN 

> > 

SOMETIME MINISTER IN THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH; 
NOW A MINISTER IN THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH, SOUTH 


Introduced by the 

Rev. THEODORE S. HENDERSON, d.d 2 

ONE OF THE BISHOPS OF THE METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL CHURCH 


Lamar & Barton, Agents 
Publishing House M.E. Church, South 

Nashville, Tenn. 

1923 



COPYRIGHT, 1923, 

BY LAMAR & BARTON, AGENTS 


Transfer from r , 

U. S. Soldier's Home Ufcry* 

Oct 28 ,lsa* 


# 




ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM. II 


O'' 


PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 





TO 

EVERYBODY 
WHO IS TRYING TO SAVE 
SOMEBODY 





INTRODUCTION 


No stories of work in the Christian Church are 
of more absorbing or abiding interest than those 
dealing with the turning of men and women to 
God. We enjoy reading of the progress of great 
religious movements, of organizations, of build¬ 
ings, of community projects, but the records 
which find the readiest response in the hearts of 
us all are those which deal with the conversion 
of souls. It may truly be said that evangelism 
is not the whole of the work of the Church or of 
the minister, but it has such fundamental relation 
to all things else that, when it is lacking, the har¬ 
mony of the whole is broken and incomplete. 

To tell such stories is not merely art. No 
artist could picture such scenes unless his own 
soul were in sympathy with the subject so as to 
enable him to understand just what were the 
processes by which the soul arrived at its place 
of transformation. The skillful pen may be 
needful; the understanding spirit is indispen¬ 
sable. That the writer of “Adventures in Evan¬ 
gelism” has this spirit is evidenced not only by 
the sympathetic treatment of the stories which 


Vll 


Vlll 


INTRODUCTION 


his pen relates, but by the work of his ministry 
during many years. He has been constantly 
making “adventures in evangelism,” and he 
knows whereof he speaks because his own min¬ 
istry has been blessed of God in the conversion 
of souls. 

It is of personal interest to say that my ac¬ 
quaintance with Brother Thickstun came about 
through his reading a reprint of an article of 
mine in a Nashville newspaper. From the read¬ 
ing of those words of mine, copied from another 
publication, there was started a train of thought 
which led to the revival in his breast of the de¬ 
ferred desire to give to the world the stories 
which now find place in this volume. God’s 
providence works in mysterious ways to fulfill 
his purposes. Since then it has been my pleasure 
to know Brother Thickstun by correspondence 
and to appreciate his endeavor to serve the 
Church and the world through his book. May 
God bless it as it goes on its mission to revive the 
interest of pastors and laymen alike in the 
supreme work of winning men and women to 
their Saviour. 

Theodore S. Henderson. 


Detroit , Michigan. 


PREFACE 


You may depend upon the essential truth of 
all herein narrated. The non-essentials of dates 
and proper names are generally fictitious. Char¬ 
acters, settings and events are sometimes compos¬ 
ite, but the parts from which they are com¬ 
pounded are true. One character in the book has 
the career he wished for, rather than the one 
which he achieved. No effort has been made to 
remember dialogue as it was originally spoken. 
It was easier to make the book that way than 
to run about the country asking permission of 
people to print their stories. I can say with 
Eggleston that the strangest things in it are the 
truest. If your pastor has had twenty years’ 
experience, he will probably tell you that he can 
relate incidents as extraordinary as any here set 
down. 

Edmund Thickstun. 


Danville , Alabama . 




CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction by Bishop Theodore S. 
Henderson .vii 

Preface ....... ix 

CHAPTER 

I The Biggest Game .15 

II Brother Green ..,33 

III A Game of Casino Spoilt ... 49 

IV Contrasted Conversions ... .65 

A SKEPTIC COMES ACROSS ... .66 

RECORD SHORT TIME IN CONVERSION . 74 

A TEN YEARS’ QUEST .78 

A CIRCUS CLOWN AND A GOOD BOY . . 81 

V Righteousness y Peace, and Joy . . 91 

VI When Elijah Failed .117 

VII Trembling for Jesus . . . .135 

WAITING AND WATCHING . . . .140 

DISOBEYING HIS MOTHER IN THE LORD . 144 


XI 



CONTENTS 


• • 
XI1 


CHAPTER 

VIII 

The Funeral of a Fiddle . 

PAGE 

. 155 

IX 

Up from the Slavery of Lust 

173 

X 

Thou Art the Man - 

189 


A STICKER ..... 

197 

XI 

“ Here I am, Mother” . 

. 203 

XII 

Some of Elijah’s Aftermaths 

. "215 

XIII 

Conclusion . 

L . 223 


/ 




I: THE BIGGEST GAME 



Would that the spirit of our Methodist 
Fathers might come upon us , sending us out 
in downright earnestness to hunt down the 
last man within reach , that we might lead 
him to the life of Christ . 

Bishop Anderson. 


ADVENTURES IN 
EVANGELISM 


i 

The Biggest Game 

. . And the bear got a slash at my left 
cheek, which accounts for my wearing whiskers 
in this smooth-shaven age.” The State Senator 
parted the beard on his face and showed an ugly 
scratch beneath. “But I got him with my gun 
held at arm’s length, and with my thumb on the 
trigger, as I drew it around to stick the muzzle 
in his mouth.” 

“Bravo, Coleman. That was a red-blooded 
man’s adventure. None of us have any such 
experiences to relate.” Travis, the lawyer, said 
this, with a long stare of admiration at his 
friend, Senator Coleman, real estate man, Wy¬ 
oming booster, and in his vacations, big game 
hunter. Howbeit, he was a steward and trustee 
in his church, and a man of deep spirituality. 

“Well, now, as to that,” drawled the Senator, 

“I should not be surprised if every one of you 

15 


16 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

fellows can tell something thrilling right out of 
your professional experiences.” Travis’s eyes 
narrowed in reflection for a moment, and then he 
remarked musingly: 

“Why, of course there are thrilling moments 
in a lawyer’s life. I remember that once I 
undertook the defense of a poor boy accused of 
crime on circumstantial evidence. From the tes¬ 
timony of blind, insensate things , merely, it 
seemed that he would be condemned. I shall 
always thank God that I believed him to be inno¬ 
cent. I worked night and day on the case with 
the bitter thought, ‘What if I shall fail, and the 
poor fellow should hang for a thing he never 
did?’ ’ 

“I became so obsessed with the case that I was 
scarcely myself for a few days, during the trial 
in the Circuit Court. The evidence was dead 
against me. When I arose to plead, my mind 
became strangely alert. All of the cases in legal 
history where men were illegally punished came 
to me with great distinctness. I cited them rap¬ 
idly without my notes. I told the jury of case 
after case where other jurors before them had 
rendered verdicts of not guilty and had been 
rewarded afterwards by the confession of the real 
criminal. Then, in my conclusion, I saw red. I 
lost myself in my bitter invective against un¬ 
seeing circumstance. But all of the time it 


THE BIGGEST GAME 


17 

seemed to me that I was saying nothing. I 
closed in a welter of physical perspiration and 
an agony of spiritual sweat. I could have sweat 
blood, it seemed to me, if that would have con¬ 
vinced. 

“When I sat down, the prosecutor leaned over 
to me and whispered: 

“ ‘Travis, that speech deserves to win, but my 
facts are too stubborn. Your man will hang.’ 
I replied miserably: 

“ ‘I know it.’ And that was all I could think 
as the judge rendered his charge. He went out 
of his way, I think, to caution the jury against 
being carried away by the frenzied eloquence of 
counsel. 

“Well, what do you think? That jury, in 
fifteen minutes, brought in a verdict of ‘not 
guilty’. The prisoner and I sat staring at each 
other like two idiots for a moment. Then he 
arose and took me in his arms like a baby and 
sobbed: 

“ ‘Mr. Travis, you done it; you done it. The 
evidence were all agin me, but you jest wouldn’t 
have it thet way. So the jury couldn’t see it any 
different from what you seen it.’ ” 

Every eye was glistening with a tear drop 
trembling on its brink. Travis continued: 

“Two years later the actual murderer con¬ 
fessed on his death bed that he was guilty of the 


18 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

crime for which my client had been tried and 
acquitted.” 

Coleman now turned to Dr. Connyngton: 

“Doc, old man, can’t you beat that as badly 
as it beat my bear story?” The physician re¬ 
plied : 

“I get four-fifths of my satisfaction in saving 
life against seemingly insuperable obstacles. It’s 
a great sensation to sit down by a moribund pa¬ 
tient, and say to Old Man Death: 

“ ‘Now, really, you know, you just can’t have 
this man—not this time.’ 

“I remember a lady who was in the last stages 
of puerperal fever. I felt that if her own family 
could be her nurses, she need not die. I told this 
to the husband, two sons and one daughter. One 
of the boys was nineteen, the other was seven¬ 
teen, the daughter was fifteen. Both of the boys 
worked in the railroad shops, the girl kept the 
house, and the father was unemployed. My 
dread was the change of nurses in the ordinary 
run of neighborhood ministrations around a sick 
bed. 

“It was arranged that the daughter should 
keep the house and manage the younger children; 
the younger of the breadwinners should nurse 
the mother from six in the evening until nine 
o’clock; the older son would then go on duty 
until midnight; the father then took up the 


THE BIGGEST GAME 


19 


task, staying with the patient the remaining 
eighteen hours of the twenty-four. By this sys¬ 
tem, I secured an unfailing, uniform treatment 
of the case, with the minimum of irritation for 
the patient. The nurses kept an accurate and 
minute record of the case, and from this I often 
saw how to change the treatment. 

“Well, we saved her. I tried to credit the 
splendid nursing for the successful issue, but 
those folks insisted that it was all due to me. 
The fee, which was sharply scaled, was the 
lesser satisfaction that I derived from the case. 
Those splendid boys and that worn old father 
caressed me with every glance of the eye and pose 
of the body. She who had wandered for weeks on 
the verge of the death-stream was most beautiful 
in her gratitude that I had kept her until she 
could ‘see her baby waiting on himself.’ ” 

After the others had choked down their feel¬ 
ings, Coleman turned to Green, the minister, and 
said: 

“Elijah, we all understand your case, to some 
extent. We know that you are in the ministry 
merely because you like it. Everybody believes 
that you would have succeeded admirably in busi¬ 
ness. I have a theory that you are a dead game 
sport, but that you would prefer hunting men to 
hunting bears. Come, old sport, tear off a leaf 
from your experience.” 


20 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

The four of them were on their way to Con¬ 
ference. They had boarded the train at Bar¬ 
rington, near the end of the line, and were 
shackling along over a frontier roadbed that 
excruciated them to the breaking point. But 
they liked each other and did their best to offset 
the tortures of travel by the pleasures of good 
fellowship. It was twenty miles to the next sta¬ 
tion, where more passengers would get aboard, 
so Green had something over an hour to talk 
before they would be distracted by other events 
than the bouncing of the coach. The minister 
began: 

“I never looked at my profession from the 
standpoint of sport before, but with me it is much 
as the Senator says.” 

“I wonder if more preachers had the hunting 
instinct, whether there would not be more hunt¬ 
ing than sermon-making,” said Coleman. “I 
have often thought that the greatest scandal 
Christianity has to carry is the indifference to the 
identical job which, it seems to me, we are ex¬ 
pected to work at. Some one said that the best 
evidence of our faith is to proceed upon it.” 
Elijah added: 

“It seems to me that it is nearly impossible to 
preach without at least a general evangelistic 
aim. I can’t say that I always have a specific 
aim, but it has happened frequently that, when 


THE BIGGEST GAME 21 

I was merely following the routine, I have seen 
evangelistic fruit.” 

“Well, get on ’Lije, and give us one of your 
man hunts,” exclaimed Coleman. 

“What I shall tell you occurred when I was 
on my first work in western Iowa. My circuit 
was absolutely new ground. The only preaching 
places were in schoolhouses, but they were well 
built and well heated. My very first protracted 
meeting was at a schoolhouse on Chicken Creek. 
The oldest inhabitant had been there but three 
years. The tough element was in control, but I 
heard from Ben Draper, an old British Wesleyan, 
and my sole dependence for prayer, that a man 
by the name of Peter Cook had been a class 
leader in York State. His house seemed to be 
headquarters for all the harum-scarum doings in 
the country. So I decided before I opened the 
meeting that my strategy consisted in capturing 
Cook for God. 

“On the first night of the meeting, I went home 
with him. He was very nice and fished out a 
beautiful family Bible from the bottom of a 
trunk. I began to admire the luxurious binding 
and numerous illustrations. I remarked: 

“ 'You have just bought this Book, Brother 
Cook.’ 

“ 'No, I bought that in York State more’n 
three year ago.’ 


22 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“'Indeed! Then you have taken extremely 
good care of it.’ 

“ 'Now Parson, you know this here country as 
well as anybody. An’ you know Bibles out on 
the table ain’t among our good qualities.’ 

'' 'So you just bought this Book to be a doing 
—or maybe you got it at a bargain.’ 

" 'Oh, I bought it sentimental, all right, ex¬ 
pectin’ to keep up Bible readin’ an’ family 
prayer, jest as my father done in York State, but 
—well you know how it goes in this country; 
most of us left our religion on the east bank of 
the Mississippi, the day we crossed the river.’ 
The children had come behind me and were look¬ 
ing at the pictures. Charles spoke up: 

'' 'Dad, leave the Book out, f’m now on. It has 
a sight o’ purty picters in it.’ William joined in: 

'' ‘Yes, Dad, leave it out. I didn’t know it 
was in the house.’ 

'' 'It seems like a shame to leave sich a expen¬ 
sive thing around, jest fer childern to play with,’ 
said the father. I replied: 

" 'There isn’t any law against your reading the 
Bible in your family, is there ? If it were right 
out here on the table, you would be reminded 
oftener of your duty.’ Cook twisted uneasily in 
his seat, and countered: 

“ 'Well, anyhow, we can have readin’ an’ 


THE BIGGEST GAME 


23 


prayer to-night, Parson. I guess the Book better 
stay out on the table. Be careful with it, chil- 
dern.’ 

“ 'All right, Dad. We’ll take the best kind o’ 
care o’ it.’ 

"In my prayer, I told the Lord how much I 
needed Peter Cook in my work there at Chicken 
Creek, and I was so refreshed by the prayer that 
I felt as though it would be a walkover to get 
the old wheel horse of York State into the har¬ 
ness. But Pete was offish next morning. When 
I pressed the matter on him a little, he evaded: 

“ ‘Well, you see, Parson, I think you are too 
young to organize this kind of thing. I think I’ll 
wait till the Conference sees fit to send a man 
with some experience to this here work.’ 

“ ‘Yes, Brother Cook, but an older man with 
plenty of experience would require higher pay 
than I need. I think it is important to jump in 
and get the thing in good running order this year, 
and maybe that will encourage the Conference to 
send you a better man than I am. But suppose 
they send you another low-grade man—or send 
me back. Don’t you see that I can do a great 
deal better work with your help, than with¬ 
out it*?’ 

‘‘The man fell silent. I felt that it was the 
part of wisdom not to continue the subject in the 


24 


ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 


presence of others. When we went to saddle my 
horse, I brought up the matter once more. He 
interrupted me: 

“ ‘Now here, Parson, I jest ain’t a goin’ to 
make the break in this meetin’. I’ve been too 



much of a sinner to jump right in fust thing an’^ 
try to lead these here folks into the fold. Of ) 


iaguyi 


course, I see the need of it, but I’m so 
easy to criticize. I weren’t fair on you in the 
house, jest now. It don’t make no difference how 
young you are. Fur as that goes, my Charley or 
Billy can git up a revival here, if the Lord sees 
fit to use ’em. Fact is, the little shavers had me 
nigh a shoutin’ last night, when they axed me to 
leave the Bible out on the table. But I hev led 
this here Valley dancin’, playin’ cards, drinkin’, 
cussin’, and I jest nachelly got too much respect 
fer the feelin’s of the people to start up the re¬ 
ligious game.’ 

“Well, I could see nothing else to do, but to 
go quietly ahead on my visiting round. Cook 
came to the meeting every night, but sat in one 
of the farther corners. As I shook hands with 
him at the close of every service, I always told 
him that I was praying for him, but he never, by 
word or motion, told me to go on praying. 

“Of course, you can fancy that I began to near 
the end of my resources. I had not been con¬ 
verted a year, and, although I had been reared 


THE BIGGEST GAME 


25 


a Christian, I had been astray for several years 
previous to my reclamation. I had no books 
except the Bible, the Discipline, and the Hymn 
Book along with me. My Bible had a very 
useful index in it, with which I could make ser¬ 
mons of a sort. Poor old Ben Draper got into 
a very agony for the salvation of the people. He 
took to going very early to the schoolhouse, and 
after making the fire, he knelt in prayer near the 
teacher’s desk, and remained on his knees until 
my arrival. This w r as the only thing that kept 
the youngsters from tearing down the house. 

“A dance or two had been announced, but, 
although no one had yet professed religion, the 
dances failed to draw the crowd. After nearly 
two weeks, the only encouraging thing I could 
note, in taking stock of my progress, was the con¬ 
tinued heavy attendance, much of it from ten 
miles away. The moon was going to full that 
night, and the snow, eighteen inches deep, was 
alluring for the sleighs. I was expecting a very 
large crowd, but on that morning I had no idea 
whatever of what I would say to the people that 
night. I did not know that, spiritually speaking, 
an earthquake was rumbling beneath me. I felt 
sorely in need of human help and sympathy. So 
I made for Peter Cook’s house. He was digging 
a well. I rode to the mouth of the well, and 
said: 


26 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“ ‘Brother Cook, I have come to you for advice 
and help. I am just about at the end of my row.’ 

“ ‘Run out o’ sermon timber, eh*? Go put 
your horse up, an’ come here, an I’ll give you a 
text, an’ a idee of how to preach it.’ 

“I was shortly standing on the brink of the 
well and looking down at him. He was six feet 
below the surface, and had reached ‘hard-pan,’ a 
tough stratum which seemed to extend pretty 
well over the country. He could get only a very 
little of it on the point of his pick at each blow. 
He went right on digging, while he talked. 

“ ‘This here text is in ’Zekiel, thirty-third 
chapter and ’leventh verse. I heerd a old min¬ 
ister preach it when I was a boy, an’ it is jest 
four words: “Why will ye die?” That old 
preacher took one word at a time. But he took 
the last word fust. He read “die” to mean hell. 
“Ye” means everybody. “Will” throws respon¬ 
sibility on men. “Why” means “What’s the 
reason?” ’ ” 

I thanked him for the text and outline, and 
told him that I would use it. Then I said: 

“ ‘Brother Cook, it’s simply awful that you 
don’t come out fully on the Lord’s side and help 
me in this work. How much you have helped 
me here, in just a moment’s time!’ He was silent 
for a long while, and I could think of nothing 
further to say, so I was silent also. Then he 


THE BIGGEST GAME 27 

lifted his pick, pulled a small piece of clay from 
it, and said: 

“ 'Looks like I’ll never git through this hard- 
pan. I been a peckin’ away at it all mornin’, an’ 
nothin’ done yet.’ 

"Looks like I’ll never get through the tough 
hard-pan around your heart. I’ve been pecking 
away at it for nearly two weeks, and nothing 
done yet.’ 

"Then he looked up at me. His eyes were red 
with weeping, and his cheeks were tear-sodden. 
His voice was husky as he said: 

" ' ’Lijey, you pecked through to my heart 
more’n a week ago.’ 

"The next second I was down in the well, and 
we had clinched. I was praising God, and he 
was crying and laughing both at once. When 
the frenzy of our feelings had passed, I said: 

" 'Now, Pete, you must help me out to-night. 
I just won’t be put off any longer.’ 

" 'All right, ’Lije. You can ask anything you 
want of me. Now go to your room and study 
that sermon.’ 

"That sermon nearly preached itself. At the 
close, I said: 

" ‘Now I’ve been asking you to this altar every 
night. No one has ever come. There is scarcely 
a person in this house, who has arrived at the 
years of accountability, who does not know that 


28 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

to continue as he is going will bring him to death 
eternal. Turn ye; turn ye; for why will ye die*?’ 
The people arose and began to sing: 

“ ‘Sinners, turn, why will ye die V 

“Just then Pete Cook started down the aisle 
from the northeast corner. And he came preach¬ 
ing. He was torrential in his words: 

“ ‘Come on, neighbors, come on. I’ve led you 
toward the devil as long as I intend to. Come 
on, and let’s get back to God. Right here at this 
mourner’s bench, down in the dust, is where we 
belong. Some of us are mighty bad—I’m the 
cussedest one of all. Lots of us are old church 
members, but we must start down here at this 
altar.’ Just then, he reached the altar and fell 
on his knees. He started praying for salvation. 
Down on one side of him fell his wife, and on 
the other Jim Grimm, his nearest neighbor, and, 
down to that moment, his bitter enemy. And 
they all started praying at once. 

“The crowd surged forward, and instantly the 
space around the speaker’s desk was crowded with 
kneeling penitents. In just a moment, Mrs. 
Cook and Mrs. Grimm arose, almost together, and 
embraced each other in an ecstasy of feeling. 
The last time before that in which their bodies 
had touched each other was more than a year 
before, when each had tried to scalp the other. 


THE BIGGEST GAME 


29 


A little while afterwards Grimm arose, happy as 
an angel. He grabbed me, and came near ending 
the meeting right there, by nearly squeezing 
the life out of me. He then rushed to Cook, and 
falling again by his side, began praying for his 
erstwhile enemy with such extraordinary fervor 
that Cook was shortly up and shouting. 

“Then it was truly good to see those four peo¬ 
ple go to work with the other penitents. And 
until ten o’clock, it was one jubilee after another 
over some one who had struggled through to 
happiness.” 

Elijah had finished. Coleman spoke first: 

“ ’Lije, I’d rather be able to tell that story 
than all the bear yarns I know. I wonder why 
we don’t have such times nowadays?” 

“What do you mean, Senator?” 

“I mean what I say. At our meetings in Bar¬ 
rington we live in mortal dread that some one 
will do something elemental. We have a quiet, 
genteel solo or some other innocuous music; a 
well-prepared sermon, strong enough, generally, 
but delivered with extreme propriety; decision 
cards are passed in a hushed stillness; minister 
prays an able but soothing prayer—nobody 
harmed or helped much by it; more nice music; 
doxology; benediction; good-night; come again. 
Meantime, here is this nicotine-soaked, boot¬ 
legging, shimmy-dancing, divorce-hunting, bood- 


30 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

ling, grafting, gambling, bedeviled, hell-bent old 
world running like a scared dog toward damna¬ 
tion. In the old days, the preacher and the peo¬ 
ple got a double-geared, back-action, automatic 
hustle on themselves, and something had to tear 
loose.” 

“Of course, Senator, just now you have not in 
mind the Salvation Army, the slum missions, the 
remote country points. You can see as primitive 
revival methods in such places as I witnessed in 
my meeting on Chicken Creek. Go to some of 
them, and you will see all of the old-time phe¬ 
nomena of the revival. You will remember that 
I was out to Buskirk’s Schoolhouse for a week 
last winter. Well, we had an old-fashioned re¬ 
vival there.” 

“Why don’t you get up one in town 9” 

“Because the town doesn’t take its religion 
that way.” 

“So there are differences in religion*?” 

“No. But there are differences in the spiritual 
manifestations of religion as various as the tem¬ 
peraments of the professors.” 

“It is a matter of temperament, then*?” 

“More so than you would think. If I had any 
literary facility, I would make a book about that 
very phase of the subject. I could put at least 
a score of outstanding examples in it of different 
ways in which the Spirit acts in regeneration.” 


II: BROTHER GREEN 


One of the primary mistakes of men in 
their relation to religion is to think of it as 
a creed, whereas religion is primarily an ex¬ 
perience. Religion is, first of all, the deliv¬ 
ering power of God in the soul. The deepest 
need, therefore, is to go directly to God 
Himself, for light and life, instead of to the 
theologian. A knowledge of God, thus ob¬ 
tained, will clarify the intellect at the same 
time that it cleanses the heart. 

Bishop Ainsworth. 


II 


Brother Green 

Elijah Green had some literary facility, though 
he disclaimed it in conversation with his friends 
that day on the train. When the frenzy has been 
upon him, he has frequently sat down and written 
a piece which he felt should be in print. Some 
of these have come to my notice, and will be 
found in this book. Out of my long and inti¬ 
mate acquaintance with him, I have written sev¬ 
eral others, and am giving them to the world in 
this volume. I am anxious that my beau ideal 
of a country pastor shall have a wider constitu¬ 
ency than the mere pastorates he served. 

5 Lije, as he was affectionately called, loves the 
country church. I have heard him say that he 
was never pastor in a town with a population of 
five hundred. I have heard people ask him why 
he did not try for the large and influential 
churches of the Conferences which have employed 
him. He would answer: 

“I take what the Bishop gives me, and then I 
can hold him responsible for my failure. If I 
should ask him for a certain charge, and if I 

should then fall down in my ministry on that 

33 


34 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

work, I should be terribly chagrined. Besides, I 
would feel nervous on entering a work which I 
had solicited, directly or indirectly. But I find 
myself calmly facing each new responsibility with 
the feeling that if I fail, I can lay it to the lack 
of acumen in the Bishop. He ought to have 
known better than to have sent me to a place 
where I would fail.” 

Brother Green was reared in a Christian home, 
but he grew indifferent to religion in the Army, 
where he spent an enlistment. After a short time 
in civil life, he became tremendously interested 
in the temperance question, from the purely hu¬ 
manitarian standpoint. He did not profess 
religion himself, but he felt that, of all people, 
professors should fight the liquor business. Forty 
or more years ago, many so-called religious peo¬ 
ple distilled and sold liquor. In fact, there were 
many moderate drinkers in the Church. This 
drove Green well-nigh frantic. He felt deeply 
on subjects that interested him, and this indif¬ 
ference set him to thinking. Then he wondered 
how an all-wise, all-powerful and good God 
could allow man’s inhumanity to man. It was 
only a step to atheism—the child of the manse 
had come to believe that there is no God. 

Now this man’s difficulties were all spiritual. 
He knew little and cared less about physical 
science. So it was an awful calamity for him to 


BROTHER GREEN 


35 


lose faith in God. He was not a vulgar sinner. 
He had a thoroughbred contempt for the ordinary 
peccadilloes of life. So he did not drift into the 
sensuous and sordid things from which so many 
people have to be saved. But all the same, he 
reached the point where he lost sympathy with 
mankind. Without having read Darwin, he had 
crudely formulated the maxim that the weakest 
ought to go down in the struggle of life. To 
himself, he debated the existence of rectitude, 
honor, beauty, love. 

In this wretched state, Green quit censuring 
men for doing things which he did not like. The 
sinner was just an animal—many of them mere 
swine. What right had he to drive a four-legged 
hog out of the mire—the hog enjoyed it. Why 
should he deprive a two-legged hog of the same 
privilege, when he enjoyed it so*? You see, there 
was no ultimate authority in his scheme of things. 
Without authority, how could he proceed? He 
was too modest himself to arrogate authority, and 
resented it in any one else, because he felt that 
no other man had any more authority than he 
had. 

Green often thanked God that he was not in 
this state very long. He says that he would 
never have been able to make anything out of the 
universe if he had remained an atheist. Curi¬ 
ously enough, light first came to him from the 


36 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

human viewpoint. One day, as he was working 
in a potato patch, he soliloquized thus: 

“These clods contain the elements that com¬ 
pose the potato. Certain chemicals are taken by 
the potatoes from the clods for building up the 
human frame, when taken into the human sys¬ 
tem. The physical system is all that I appre¬ 
hend. So it must be that what we call honor, 
integrity, love, come from the potato, which comes 
largely from the clods. 5 ’ 

He did not know, then, how near he was to 
the truth as it is related in Genesis: “God made 
man out of the dust of the earth, and breathed 
into his nostrils the breath of life, and man be¬ 
came a living soul. 55 He was groping along with¬ 
out God, and the entire thought of the clods and 
potatoes only nauseated him. Much as he hated 
the doctrine, to him, at that time, the universe 
was merely physical. He heartily disdained the 
physical. He was genuinely psychical. So he 
exclaimed: 

“Out on such a doctrine! I’d rather believe 
that there is a God. The fact is, that I want to 
believe that there is a God. So far as I know, 
there is only one objection to the doctrine, and 
that is the fact of all this wrong in the world. 
I see that the wrong is nearly entirely due to 
man—Ah! I wonder if there is a thought there? 


BROTHER GREEN 


37 


The universe, outside of man, seems all right. 
Let me see how God will fit in right here. If 
God is, he made man with all that that implies. 
And—O Stupidity, thy other name is Elijah 
Green. Why, God made man and gave man a 
will of his own. The key to the moral universe 
is man’s free will. Why didn’t I see it before?” 

With the postulate “God is” to work from. 
Brother Green had a mighty rebound of faith in 
humanity. He had been like a tethered horse, 
trampling around and around, and eating up all 
within his prescribed limits. But the lariat 
broke, and let him out onto the boundless prairie. 
He wandered from one delicious morsel to an¬ 
other. It was all so easy to understand now. 
Why, if God is, everything worth while is. Oh, 
the physical universe was suddenly shot through 
with spirituality. He first recognized the power, 
but shortly he noted the love in it all. And in 
a little while, he could see where the integrity, 
honor, chastity, beauty came in. 

But Elijah Green was not yet a Christian— 
far from it. His grudge against the liquor-loving 
part of the church would not down. But a curi¬ 
ous phenomenon soon presented itself. While 
some in the church were pro-liquor, nearly all of 
those ranged against the business belonged to the 
church. And Elijah got mighty cold comfort 


/ 


38 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

from the reflection that not many of his non¬ 
professing friends were temperance men. Among 
the most earnest workers for the temperance cause 
was a minister with whom he became intimate. 
This Thomas Freeman became deeply concerned 
about Elijah. Once they were on the same pro¬ 
gram at a temperance meeting. ’Lije was radical 
in his speech, but he did not use the Bible in what 
he had to say. Freeman noticed this, and, sus¬ 
pecting that ’Lije was a skeptic, invited him to 
his house and drew him into a discussion of re¬ 
ligion. The younger man expressed himself 
freely on Biblical topics for a while, and was sur¬ 
prised that he was never checked and rebuked by 
the minister. Freeman’s attitude was tolerant, 
because he thought to himself that if Green was 
an honest skeptic, he must be convinced by argu¬ 
ment that he was in the wrong and not merely 
be silenced by a rebuke. Finally Green said: 

“Mr. Freeman, I would rather not talk religion 
with you. I have a great respect for you, and I 
am afraid of hurting your feelings. If you will . 
excuse me, I shall allow you to do all of the talk¬ 
ing on religion and the Bible hereafter.” 

“It is fine of you, my boy, to wish to avoid 
hurting me, but you will never get anywhere by 
merely listening to me. Let us talk this thing 
through, at the risk of hurting each other’s feel¬ 
ings a little. I’ll promise not to get miffed at 


BROTHER GREEN 39 

anything you say, and you are to keep sweet and 
keep smiling at all that I say.” 

“Agreed!” laughed ’Lije, holding out his hand. 
“Only I warn you that I have always cultivated 
a thick skin, and it takes an awful hard jab to 
get through it. If your skin is at all thin, I am 
much the better equipped for the tussle.” 

They spent the evening in discussion, and when 
’Lije arose to go, the minister said: 

“If you will promise to come to my church next 
Sunday, I shall prepare a sermon on Christian 
Evidences. Maybe I shall say something that 
will help you.” 

“Good! Fll be there.” 

The minister helped Green in that sermon. 
As he passed down the aisle, Green was standing 
at the end of his pew. Freeman shook hands, 
and asked: 

“Well, Brother Green, did that help you?” 

“Yes, sir; it helped me some. But I have 
many objections which you have not touched 
upon. I shall write them out and bring them 
down to your house next Tuesday evening.” 

“All right,” returned the minister. “Maybe 
I can answer all of them; though I have no strong 
hope of doing so. It is so easy to ask questions. 
Now let me see; I take it that you are after the 
truth?” 

“Yes, indeed; that is what I want.” 


( 


40 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“Incidentally, you would like to be satisfied 
in your mind that the Bible is by authority of 
God.” 

“I would rather know that than anything else.” 
All this time their hands were clasped. They 
were the same height and were looking square 
across at each other. The kindly brown eyes of 
the elder man transfixed the younger. He spoke 
deliberately: 

“My dear sir, what’s the matter with asking 
God himself if the Bible is His Word?” Green 
gave an uneasy laugh and replied: 

“Whose god shall I go to, Mr. Freeman? I 
don’t believe in your God, and my god doesn’t 
listen to prayer.” 

“You honestly ask my God to show you the 
light on this subject. I feel sure that He will 
answer you so that there will be no further doubt 
in your mind.” 

“Well, I’ll study on it,” replied Green, with 
another uneasy laugh—and then forgot it. 

“At that time, Green was employed in the 
woods, chopping fuel, and hauling it to town, a 
mile away. He employed his leisure until Tues¬ 
day noon preparing his list of questions. One of 
them was, “Who was Cain’s wife?” Another 
read: “Wasn’t David a malodorous chap to be 
‘a man after God’s own heart’?” Green was a 


BROTHER GREEN 


41 


pretty good sort of fellow, but he could not avoid 
a malicious tingle of satisfaction at the way he 
was going to “wind the preacher up.” 

About two o’clock on Tuesday afternoon, he 
was busy chopping and studying on his wonder¬ 
ful list of questions. His feelings toward the 
minister were kindly but patronizing: 

“Poor fellow; I wonder what he will say to 
all that? It seems a shame to drive such a nice 
man into such a hole. Maybe it will teach him 
not to be so cock-sure of a thing.” 

As he chopped on, the young man remembered 
the elder man’s impressive words to ask his God 
about the matter. Again ’Lije smiled at the idea 
of his praying to any god. Then, without intend¬ 
ing it, he was saying: 

“Well, if the Bible is worth any trouble at all, 
why shouldn’t I honestly test his plan? I can’t 
afford to let a chance go by which might really 
satisfy me. It would be a low-down, dirty trick 
to play on such a man, worrying him with a legal 
cap sheet of queries, when I have not done the 
little bit of a thing he asked me to do. No harm 
can come of it, so here goes!” 

He had promised the minister that he would 
“study over it”, but this was all the study he 
gave it. Instantly he knelt near a big oak tree 
and prayed as follows: 


42 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“O God of Thomas Freeman, if the book 
called the Bible is thy Word, give me to know 
that fact here in thy own way.” 

A great awe fell upon the kneeling man. He 
felt that something tremendous was about to 
transpire. There were no adventitious human 
agencies near to assist in what was going to 
happen. He was twenty-five years old—abun¬ 
dantly mature to know what he was about. The 
day, March 29, 1874, in that northern latitude, 
was chill with a recent snow. No birds were 
astir. The winds were quiet. For one, two, three 
seconds, the man waited for the coming of God. 
Then suddenly he was there. A compel¬ 
ling, enveloping, soul-filling, all-pervading Pres¬ 
ence was manifesting itself above, beneath, all 
around, and within that kneeling form. Elijah 
Green often said afterwards that his own exist¬ 
ence is less real to him than the existence of the 
God of the Bible. And he is one who, when he is 
convinced of a thing, is convinced all over. The 
immensity of his discovery called pause upon his 
thoughts. As noted before, the psychical in the 
universe demanded Elijah Green’s respect, and 
commanded his attention. What he had just 
learned was of more importance, he said, than 
all mechanics. Nothing in biology, or astronomy, 
or chemistry could be so fascinating to him as the 
further study of this subject, which had just 


BROTHER GREEN 43 

opened to him so miraculously. But almost im¬ 
mediately occurred to him this thought: 

“The Bible is God’s Word, but it condemns 
my life. I must square myself with the Bible, or 
go down into hell.” 

It seems strange that a minister’s son, reared 
by a godly mother, an attendant at Sunday 
school for many years, should not have proceeded 
at once to the conversion of his soul. But he 
who, a moment before, had spoken to himself of 
the assurance of the minister, now felt the utmost 
diffidence about the ground he was treading. He 
suddenly became frenzied about his soul’s salva¬ 
tion. Everything spiritual grew dark and for¬ 
bidding. All nature reflected the gloom. But 
he waited until he would again be with his friend 
Freeman. The afternoon seemed interminable. 
He ate but little supper and, making hasty 
preparations, started for Rev. Thomas Freeman’s 
house, with the list of questions safe in the stand 
table drawer in his room. 

Once out in the open, he hurried into the town. 
His eagerness increased with each step. When 
he reached the residential street on which the 
minister lived, and there were few persons out 
of doors, he ran for the last block and rang the 
bell violently. Freeman himself came to the door. 
He had just finished his supper, and had come 
to the parlor. 


44 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“Why, good evening, ’Lije. You startled me. 
Come in.” 

Seated in the parlor, the young man became 
silent. The minister watched him narrowly for 
a moment; half guessed what was the matter. 
Then very pleasantly: 

“Well, 5 Lije, did you make out that list of 
questions?” 

“Don’t say questions to me, Mr. Freeman. I 
am a poor, miserable sinner. I want salvation. 
May we go where we shall not be disturbed?” 

“Yes, come right into the library.” Every¬ 
thing was solid ground for the minister now. He 
understood the case and could act with as much 
precision as a physician can, when he is sure that 
a patient has the measles. When they were 
seated in the library, he began: 

“ 'God so loved the world, that he gave his 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
him should not perish, but have everlasting life . 5 
'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke 
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and 
lowly in heart . 5 ” 

Never had Scripture so spoken to the heart of 
Elijah Green as it did at that time. He broke 
down and cried like a baby. Freeman continued 
to quote appropriate Scripture for a while, when 
Green suddenly interrupted: 


BROTHER GREEN 


45 


“Oh, let us pray.” They knelt, and Elijah 
immediately began to pray. But instead of get¬ 
ting relief, his condition seemed to grow worse— 
intolerable. His jaws seemed locked; the words 
would not come fast enough; he seemed to be 
sinking. He lost the power of utterance. Then 
the minister took up the prayer. His voice grew 
less and less distinct to Green. He was in an 
agony of bodily, mental, spiritual cramp. He 
thought that he was dying, when he heard the 
minister say: 

“Lord, let in the light now” 

“Do, Lord,” almost shouted the suppliant; and 
He did. The horrible cramp that instant loos¬ 
ened on his muscles; his mind was clear and 
active; his spirit was at peace; he grew calm and 
remained kneeling, listening with great content¬ 
ment to the remainder of the prayer. It seemed 
incongruous for the minister to continue to ask 
for his salvation. Then the prayer ended and 
they resumed their seats. For a moment, Free¬ 
man did not happen to look toward Green, but 
sat there, talking about the power of prayer. 
Then his glance happened to light on the young 
man’s face, and he exclaimed: 

“Why, ’Lije, you’ve got it.” 

“Yes, sir, I’ve got it.” 

Well, then, in ’Lije’s language, they “clinched.” 
It was a happy, happy hug. 



Ill: A GAME OF CASINO SPOILT 


0pportunities make obligations. The Ephe¬ 
sian Christians must needs send their light 
out in every direction , or their candlestick 
would be removed. Appeals for instruction 
in the new faith came to them from afar. If 
they had failed to respond , they would have 
suffered what has come to every other Church 
and individual who has refused to let his 
light shine; the flame would have been ex¬ 
tinguished. 


A. H. Tuttle, D.D. 


A Game of Casino Spoilt 

One of the dearest little surprises that I re¬ 
member came to me down in the mountains of 
Alabama. I was looking through the supplemen¬ 
tary matter of a new copy of my Unabridged 
Dictionary, when I took a notion to read the 
“Memoir of Noah Webster.” I had worn out 
one copy of that dictionary without reading the 
Memoir, because I had an idea that it merely 
contained an account of a very laborious literary 
life, so I was not expecting anything uncommon, 
when all at once I was in the midst of a very 
sweet Christian experience. 

In the year 1808 there was a revival on at New 
Haven, but Webster was so deeply engaged with 
literary labors that he did not attend, though he 
became aware of something unusual going on, by 
the uncommon tenderness displayed by the other 
members of his family. It took only a short time 
to ascertain the cause of this new warmth of sen¬ 
sibility. Webster was a believer in Christ, but 
had been content merely to live uprightly, with¬ 
out the experimental new birth. Now he went 
after that experience with characteristic thor- 


50 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

oughness and was soon happy in a vital Chris¬ 
tian hope. Then he realized his responsibility to 
his family and erected a family altar which re¬ 
mained a household institution until his death, 
in 1847. Shortly after his conversion, he and 
several other members of his family joined the 
Church. 

This is a notable instance of the pervasive 
influence of the revival spirit. Here was a just 
man, pursuing the even tenor of his way, with¬ 
out any definite program, or even idea of the life 
in Christ. He was suddenly halted and forced 
to take stock of his spiritual belongings, merely 
because his family had become interested in re¬ 
ligion, though none of them had mentioned that 
they were thus interested. 

But Webster was with his family every day; 
Elijah Green was converted in a community 
which was in a condition of profound spiritual 
torpor. Yet his conversion was the result of re¬ 
vival influence. His story would not be com¬ 
plete without showing the hidden cause of his 
coming to Christ just when he did, and in the 
way he came. 

That night when the light shone into his soul 
in answer to the prayer of Thomas Freeman and 
himself, and after they had moderated their 
ecstasy somewhat, the minister remarked: 

“I like to see your kind of an experience. You 


A GAME OF CASINO SPOILT 51 

have worked through to a blessing at a time when 
there is not a breeze in the spiritual air at this 
place. The churches seem to me to be especially 
stagnant, just now. It makes your case somewhat 
remarkable.” ’Lije did not think very much of 
this remark at the time, but he was forcibly re¬ 
minded of it later. 

At the time of these occurrences, ’Lije was cor¬ 
responding with his mother, seven hundred miles 
distant in Indiana. He had told her of his friend, 
the Rev. Thomas Freeman, and of his arguments 
on religious subjects. A revival was in progress 
in his mother’s home town, and one of the features 
of the meetings was for the attendants to make 
written requests for prayer for loved ones at a 
distance. ’Lije’s mother sent his name up for 
prayer every night, and asked that the minister 
with whom he was intimate might be the instru¬ 
ment of his conversion. But she had not men¬ 
tioned this in her letters to Elijah. It was sev¬ 
eral years afterwards that he was back in his 
home town, and a deeply pious lady friend of his 
mother said: 

“ ’Lijey, there was a big shout went up in our 
meeting here, when we heard that you were so 
happily converted, in answer to our prayers.” 

“Why, Aunt Kitty, how was that*? I never 
heard that before.” 

“Did your mother never tell you of it? Why, 


52 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

you see, your mother handed in your name every 
night for prayer. And she asked us to pray that 
a Rev. Thomas Freeman might be instrumental 
in your conversion. And sure enough, before our 
meetings closed, here came a letter from you, 
stating that you had been converted in his study 
while he was praying. I am surprised that your 
mother never mentioned it to you.” ’Lije mus¬ 
ingly replied: 

“Mother has become so habituated to having 
her prayers answered that she takes an answer 
as a matter of course, perhaps.” 

But going back to that superlative night: 

After an hour of very sweet communion with 
Freeman, Elijah started, the time still being 
early, for his home, a mile away. He was a mere 
hired hand, but he was treated as a member of 
the family, in which he was a general favorite. 
As he went along the street, he seemed to want 
to seize every one whom he met, and tell him: 

“Say, Brother, Eve found Jesus.” 

But after a while he came in sight of the 
house. Somehow his courage did not seem so 
great as when he was walking along the streets. 
He saw a light in the great kitchen and knew 
that the family were all in there. He reflected 
that he could go directly to his room from the 
hall entrance, and he weakly resolved that he 


A GAME OF CASINO SPOILT 53 

would do so. But when he opened the hall door, 
he heard the voice of Frank Sylvester in the 
kitchen say: 

“Here comes ’Lijey. He will deal the cards in 
great shape for us.” 

You see, ’Lije had learned to play cards in the 
Army. He had introduced the game of Casino 
to the Sylvesters. Both of the parents were mem¬ 
bers of the church, but just at that time were 
tinctured with the error that there was no harm 
in cards at home. ’Lije had principally argued 
them into this position. Frank, Mary, and Nel¬ 
lie Sylvester had often whiled the evenings away 
at Casino, with Elijah Green for an instructor. 

While our new convert stood there in the hall, 
after hearing Frank say that he would deal the 
cards, a revulsion of feeling swept through him. 
He conceived a violent dislike for cards, which 
has increased as the years have gone by. Again 
he thought eagerly of escaping upstairs. As he 
stood undecided, Frank threw open the door of 
the kitchen which opened into the hall, showing 
Mr. Sylvester reading at one end of the dining 
table; Mrs. Sylvester at work with the baking; 
and the three young people at the other end of 
the table, with the cards. Elijah’s whole soul 
arose in loathing against those cards, as Frank 
gayly exclaimed: 


54 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“Sit down, ’Lije, and take a hand with us. We 
are so miserably awkward, shuffling and dealing 
the cards.” 

Now ’Lije, early in his Army experience, had 
decided that he was not cut out for a gambler, 
and for strictly prudential reasons had avoided 
the gaming table. At the same time, he had spent 
hours sitting with a deck of cards in his hands, 
riffling and shuffling them, playing Solitaire. He 
had also played this game of Casino with his 
buddy. No harm had come to him from cards, 
because there was no fascination in gaming for 
him. He preferred a book or magazine. 

But now it was squarely up to him to play or 
not to play cards after he had professed the re¬ 
ligion of Jesus Christ. He had argued that there 
is no harm in cards at home, but sitting there with 
those innocent young people, whom he had taught 
to play this game, it suddenly occurred to him: 

“Cards are the gambler’s most convenient 
tools. There are ten dollars lost at cards, to one 
dollar at any other game. In the name of hon¬ 
esty and sanity, why make the home the nursing 
place of this awful evil? I have called Casino 
an innocent game, but it seems to have a fatal 
fascination for these young people. Maybe I 
have started them on the gambler’s road to hell.” 

So Elijah sat with these reflections, mechan¬ 
ically riffling the cards, trying to make up his 


A GAME OF CASINO SPOILT 55 

mind how to approach the subject of the wrong 
in card playing. Frank peevishly exclaimed: 

“Go on and deal the cards, ’Lije; you have 
them thoroughly mixed.” 

‘Til deal you folks a hand, but I believe that 
I will not play to-night,” said ’Lije, as he deftly 
distributed the cards to the others. 

At this, both the old folks glanced toward 
’Lije. Frank seized the cards that were dealt and, 
giving them back, banteringly said: 

“Here, ’Lije, deal yourself a hand. You must 
play with us. We will never get anywhere, play¬ 
ing among ourselves.” 

The riffling was resumed, and was watched 
with great interest by the old folks. ’Lije knew 
that he ought to confess Christ then and there, 
by repudiating the game, but oh, how hard it 
was! At last, Frank impatiently cried: 

“Deal the cards, ’Lijey Green; deal the cards. 
Are you going to sleep ?” 

It was now or never. ’Lije lifted the cards 
above his head and threw them toward the 
kitchen stove. They fell in fifty-two different 
places, and ’Lije said, very soberly, and without 
the least appearance of cant: 

“So help me God, I’ll never play another 
game of cards.” 

Then Mrs. Sylvester dropped the pan of bread 
she was taking from the oven, and Mr. Sylvester 


56 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

nearly knocked the table over, getting to his feet. 
He seized one of Elijah’s hands, and shouted 
aloud. She gathered up the scattered cards, 
stuffed them into the stove, and almost hys¬ 
terically made for Elijah, who was now thor¬ 
oughly happy. He gave her his other hand, and 
jumping up and down between the two, sang out 
joyfully: 

“Oh, gentle people, I’ve found Jesus.” 

“I knew it already, ’Lijey. I suspected it, even 
before you threw the cards. Poor boy; I could 
see that you were having a hard time to stand 
for the right. But you triumphed at last, ’Lijey. 
And you’ve preached the biggest sermon to-night 
that ever I listened to. And you had only a deck 
of cards for a text. If Mr. Sylvester and I had 
been as firm as you, they would never have come 
into the house.” 

’Lije now turned to the young people. He ex¬ 
pected a sympathetic attitude from them, but it 
was evident that they were “put out,” notwith¬ 
standing they were all three professed Christians. 
But they had joined the Church because it was 
the genteel and popular thing to do. They knew 
nothing of the soul-searchings and heart-burnings 
which had swept through Elijah Green’s nature. 
But they had begun to feel the infatuation of 
cards, the most serious deflection from the path 
of rectitude that they had ever made. It had 


A GAME OF CASINO SPOILT 57 

seemed so harmless that they had grown quite 
complacent about it. Then there was an in¬ 
definable resentment against Elijah for what ap¬ 
peared to them like superiority over them, as 
Christians. Why, he had professed religion just 
that night; it was decidedly “fresh” in him to 
arrogate authority over them in a little harmless 
amusement. With freezing civility, Frank said: 

“I’m real glad, ’Lije, that you have turned over 
a new leaf. I guess that you will have a few 
other things, besides Casino, to reform on.” 

“Reform, Frank? Why, bless your life, I 
have no desire at all to do anything that is liable 
to cause any one to stumble.” 

The girls were not so sarcastic as Frank, but 
they were plainly “miffed.” Elijah did not 
notice it much, because he was so happy in his 
new life. When he had again taken his seat, Mr. 
Sylvester asked him to relate his experience. It 
took more than an hour, but as he went through 
the door toward his room, Sylvester remarked: 

“If I am any prophet, you will be preaching 
before this time next year.” 

“Well, that is what my parents consecrated 
me for, when I was eight days old. My father 
himself baptized me that day, by my mother’s 
bedside, and they solemnly gave me to God.” 

The fact was, that Green was licensed at the 
next District Conference, in May, and he entered 


58 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

an Annual Conference the following September. 

’Lije was immediately in the midst of contro¬ 
versy. His intensely militant disposition seemed 
to abhor peace and quiet as Nature abhors a 
vacuum. He enjoyed meeting his old comrades 
in skepticism and confuting their arguments. 
He at once formulated the dictum about things 
in the Bible which he did not understand: 

“I allow God to know a great many things I 
don’t know.” 

But it hurt him to find the Church palliating 
and excusing things which he knew were obstruct¬ 
ing the advance of the Kingdom. 

The next Sunday he joined the Broadway 
M. E. Church in town, and that day a number of 
the town folks came out to visit the Sylvesters. 

Mr. and Mrs. Crowder, two of these visitors, 
had been invited by the young people of the Syl¬ 
vester family. They were well-to-do, and ex¬ 
tremely respectable. They took themselves very 
seriously, and doubted the propriety of any one 
disagreeing with them on any subject whatever. 

Of course it was inevitable that they and 
Elijah should get into a discussion on the subject 
of amusements. In fact, Frank and Nellie and 
Mary had invited them with this express wish. 
So, at the dinner table, they related Elijah’s “first 
sermon”, as they were already calling his repu- 


A GAME OF CASINO SPOILT 59 

diation of the game of cards. Mrs. Crowder very 
impressively remarked: 

“I often think of what an old presiding elder 
back in Indiana used to say.” 

4 What was that 4 ?” asked Nellie Sylvester. 

“He said that some young converts put him in 
mind of young wasps—biggest just after they are 
hatched.” This ought to have squelched Elijah, 
but he never could understand when the proper 
time had come to subside. He answered pleas¬ 
antly : 

“It would seem as though that is especially 
true in my case. I can only hope that I may keep 
up the pace with which I have started. You see 
I am twenty-five, and I must go hard to catch up 
with most folks in the Christian life, because the 
great majority of them started before they were 
eighteen. I am asking the Lord to lengthen my 
days so that I may serve Him as long as I worked 
for the other fellow.” 

“Let me see,” ponderously interposed Mr. 
Crowder. “I believe that the discussion related 
to the harmless game of Casino. I trust that 
that was the very worst thing you ever did while 
you were serving the 'other fellow’.” 

“You see, Mr. Crowder, I argued that matter 
all through to my entire satisfaction, all to my¬ 
self. My conscience suddenly became very 


60 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

tender about doing anything that would make 
my brother stumble. But I was very greatly 
gratified when I found that the Discipline repre¬ 
hends cards. I feel now that I am ecclesiastically 
on the right track, as well as conscientiously.” 

“Yes, I know what the Discipline says; but 
I regard it as a tyranny which I am not obliged 
to respect.” 

“Why, as to that, a saloon keeper can say the 
same when he sells liquor to an Indian or a 
minor.” 

“I consider the cases quite dissimilar,” said 
Mr. Crowder, with dignity. “Now it is my 
honest belief that we are too strict on our chil¬ 
dren.” (Crowder was childless, but of course he 
was speaking in a general way.) “I am satisfied 
that if we will let them have the amusements at 
home which so many of them have to seek else¬ 
where, these amusements away from home would 
not have the charm for the young people which 
they seem to possess.” 

“Now that would be a matter of statistics. So 
far as I know, there are no statistics available to 
prove or refute your contention. But I believe 
that I can get statistics that ought to set the mat¬ 
ter at rest.” 

“How will you go about that^” 

“In my old company in the Army, the soldiers 
play cards to a man. I have a very intelligent 


A GAME OF CASINO SPOILT 61 

friend there—John Robbins—who will go to the 
pains of taking the statistics. I shall ask him to 
ask every man in the company: First, Did you 
learn to play cards at home"? Second, If you did 
so learn, has it been easier, on that account, for 
you to avoid gambling here in the Army 4 ? If you 
did not learn to play cards in the Army, how 
would you like for your home folks to know that 
you are gambling here in the Army 9 Now such 
statistics ought to show that not a single out¬ 
breaking gambler learned to play cards at home, 
because, according to your belief, such boys will 
have learned to regard the game with indiffer¬ 
ence, and it will have no influence over them. 
I shall prepare my letter immediately after din¬ 
ner, so as to show it to you before you leave for 
home.” 

Green already knew that Orth and Noble, two 
of the inveterate gamblers of “I” Co., ’Steenth 
Infantry, had learned to play cards at home, 
where, they had told him, they had formed their 
passion for gaming. But he was scarcely pre¬ 
pared for the answer that came from Robbins. 
His soldier friend told him that every man who 
professed to having learned cards at home was 
now a confirmed gambler. Orth was the king- 
bee and generally had 75 per cent of the money 
in the company within a week after payday. 
Noble was an honest gambler, who played merely 


62 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

for the excitement of gaming. Robbins went on 
to say that the indifferent gamblers, and those 
who played for fun only, said that they would 
not like for their folks at home to know how 
they were living. Elijah showed these data to 
Mr. Crowder. It was a delicate undertaking, for 
Elijah did not care to antagonize the man, but 
he came off successfully. After jollying along 
for a while, Crowder exclaimed: 

“ ’Lijey, the statistics fail to support my posi¬ 
tion. As you say, it is a matter of statistics, and 
not of opinion. You have won fair and square. 
I wouldn’t have believed any such showing pos¬ 
sible. I shall no longer maintain the position I 
took at Sylvester’s.” 


IV: CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 


One saved soul going after an unsaved 
soul with yearning heart and eager step and 
tender entreaty—this is the Christian's un¬ 
speakable privilege . 

Bishop Berry. 


IV 


Contrasted Conversions 

The Rev. Elijah Green entered Conference on 
trial in September, 1874. He asked for the 
hardest circuit in the Conference, and received it. 
I have related some of the things which befell 
him in the First Chapter. The second year he 
asked for and received another hard circuit. These 
circuits, pioneer work on what was then the fron¬ 
tier of Methodism, and which failed to support 
one single man, now contain several circuits, all 
supporting ministers at good salaries. Green be¬ 
came fascinated with the work and wished for 
no better fortune than to go on serving country 
charges until the day of his death. 

But it was hard to take a circuit, work for a 
year, receive $75 to $100 from the Home Mis¬ 
sionary Society; perhaps that much from the 
work; and get along without going in debt. At 
the end of the second year, Green found himself 
in debt $40, notwithstanding the most rigid 
economy. 

He went to Conference, passed his examina¬ 
tion, was received into full connection, ordained 

Deacon, and was then placed on the super- 

65 


66 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

numerary list at his own request. He did this 
in order to take charge of the advertising branch 
of a new business affair with which he had be¬ 
come acquainted late in his second year’s min¬ 
istry. This project consisted in setting on foot 
a hog cholera remedy in the states of Iowa, Mis¬ 
souri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio. He 
received 66 2/3 per cent of the proceeds for two 
years. At the end of the contract, he had 
$25,000 in the bank; had studied his books for 
the third and fourth years; had attended two big 
meetings; and now asked to be returned to the 
effective list. This was in another Conference. 
He again asked for the hardest work the cabinet 
could name in a central western Conference. 

When Elijah was admitted on trial, the Con¬ 
ference associated him with a man only three 
years his senior, who had been preaching for 
eight years. From this minister, Green got the 
following story, substantially as it is related here: 

A SKEPTIC COMES ACROSS 

“Well, Gurley, you have to admit that the 
lives of Christians show the heavenly origin of 
their religion. You have a greater confidence in 
a man, merely because he professes the religion 
of Jesus Christ.” 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 67 

‘Til take you on that very point, Hamilton. 
Who prays a longer prayer than old Brother 
White? Pious to a fault. But you know that 
he owns all of the saloon property in Milltown. 
Then there is Class Leader Moss. I doubt 
whether he would pick up a pin on Sunday; but 
he swindled you out of lots of good money, when 
he got $150 for that sorry brute you are riding. 
And you know several who are no better than 
these two, though they all make a loud profession 
of religion.” 

The two young men jogged on in silence for 
some time. Hamilton was not convinced—only 
silenced. He made no profession of religion, but 
he held it in veneration, and it really pained him 
for his friend Gurley to argue against religion, 
as he had been doing all day. They had jour¬ 
neyed from Milltown, their native place, to¬ 
gether, and were now a thousand miles from 
home. A boundless Iowa prairie stretched away 
on every side. They were nearing the town 
where Gurley expected to practice law and Ham¬ 
ilton medicine, but as yet, not a house was in 
sight—western Iowa, in the sixties, was a different 
country from the Iowa of to-day. Gurley was 
on the point of renewing his attack, when Ham¬ 
ilton exclaimed: 

“Look! There’s a house.” 


68 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

After a careful scrutiny of the horizon up the 
trail, Gurley remarked that it probably was a 
house. 

‘Til be glad of it,” sighed Hamilton. “My 
horse is too badly used up to go on to Wingolia 
to-night. Judging by the last opinion we got, it 
must be twelve miles to town, and the sun is 
nearly down.” 

It was nearly dark when the travelers reached 
the house which they had sighted an hour before. 
It was a newly constructed “shanghai,” and in 
front of it stood the four occupants, apparently 
a man and wife, and their son and daughter. 
These people were unkempt and forbidding in 
appearance, and it seemed an unlikely place to 
spend the night. 

“How far is it to Wingolia?” asked Gurley. 

“It must be ten miles,” replied the elder of 
the men. 

“Can we make it?” inquired Gurley of Ham¬ 
ilton, with an apprehensive glance at his beast. 

“There’s a good moon,” hesitated Hamilton, 
who was troubled with the same doubts Gurley 
had about stopping. The young man had 
lounged around to Hamilton’s side of the road 
and was eyeing his horse keenly. 

“The moon won’t do this hoss no good. He’s 
needin’ rest. Better stay here all night.” Ham¬ 
ilton readily assented to this, but Gurley shot a 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 69 

glance of disapproval at the young fellow, as the 
father added heartily: 

“Yes, strangers, git down an 5 picket your 
hosses, an’ stay all night. Then you can take 
your time to go to Wingolia in the morning.” 
This brought Hamilton to the ground, and Gur¬ 
ley reluctantly followed. After feeding and 
picketing the horses, they entered the house, the 
host remarking: 

“We’ve already et our suppers. You’ll have 
to put up with what’s left.” 

The untidy dishes and debris of the meal; the 
disarranged room; the unswept floor—all ap¬ 
peared uninviting. Everything seemed dirty. 
They ate sparingly and retired soon afterwards. 
The young man took them to a stairway out of 
doors, and said: 

“Go upstairs and take the bed you will see 
near the door. I’d give you a light, but we hain’t 
made no candles yet this Fall. But the moon 
will shine right in at the door.” 

Upstairs, by the bed, the young men looked at 
each other with troubled faces. Gurley, in a low 
voice, spoke first: 

“I believe that we are in a den of thieves.” 

“So do I.” 

“I’m not going to undress.” 

“Neither am I.” 

Possibly you have been there yourself, gentle 


70 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

reader—judging honest people by appearances. 
They had traveled a thousand miles to reach this 
point, but had always managed to stop in some 
reputable hotel or road house. A panic gradually 
took possession of them. As they sat there, the 
situation became more and more unbearable. At 
last Hamilton whispered: 

“Let’s slip downstairs and stay with the horses 
until we are better satisfied.” 

So they noiselessly descended the stairs and 
went to the horses, out on the prairie, *a quarter 
of a mile from the house. They stretched their 
ample saddle blankets on the grass, and, putting 
on their overcoats, they lay down, with their sad¬ 
dles for pillows. It was early in September, and 
a glorious night. They lay quiet for a long 
while, watching the light in the shanghai window. 
Hamilton was just dozing off, when Gurley 
kicked his shin and sharply inquired: 

“What’s that I hear?” Hamilton was wide 
awake in a moment and intently listening. 

“They are singing at the house, Gurley.” 

“They are singing 'Sweet Hour of Prayer’.” 

“Let’s go to the house and listen.” 

They started for the house on a run. When 
they drew near, they slowed down and got to 
the window, where they stood looking in at a 
beautiful scene—the sight of a Christian family 
at household devotions. The four made a splen- 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 71 

did quartet. The mother’s strong treble carried 
the air; the daughter sang a mellow alto; the boy 
growled a deep bass; the father had a magnificent 
tenor voice. They were just starting the last 
stanza: 

“Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, 

May I thy consolation share, 

Till from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height, 

I view my home, and take my flight. 

This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise 
To seize the everlasting prize; 

And shout, while passing through the air, 
Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.” 

At the close of the hymn, the father read the 
Fifth chapter of Matthew and led in a tender 
prayer of thanksgiving that God had reunited 
them, after a separation of months. He was very 
grateful for the Providence which had smiled on 
the labors of the son, while the father had been 
back to Illinois, bringing the mother and daugh¬ 
ter to their new home. He asked to be kept true 
to their God. Then he asked his Heavenly Fa¬ 
ther to bless the two young men under their roof. 
He expressed the fear that they were not re¬ 
ligious, but pleaded for God to bring them to a 
realization of all his mercies and goodness, and 
to the foot of the cross of Christ. Then he asked 
that the family might be of some benefit to the 


72 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

cause of Christ in that part of the world and 
closed. 

The two eavesdroppers now looked in each 
other’s faces, and Gurley whispered: 

“What fools we were; let’s go back to 
bed.” 

“Not if your argument to-day was correct. 
The mere profession of religion by a person is 
no sign that he is not a villain, deep-dyed. And 
remember, you gave me instances to prove your 
contention.” 

“Yes, I know what I did. I gave you exam¬ 
ples of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Those folks 
in there are God’s lambs. And please His grace, 
I’m going to be one, too.” 

So the two travelers sneaked back to bed. It 
was strange how differently everything appeared 
next morning. The head of the family had a 
most benignant, patriarchal look; the mother was 
a sweet-faced Madonna; the daughter was a 
pure, lovely virgin; the son was an upstanding, 
clear-eyed, manly young fellow. Now that the 
suspicions of the previous evening were all dissi¬ 
pated, it was incredible to those men that they 
had doubted these people. 

It seemed that the father and son had come to 
this land the previous fall; had built the house 
during the winter; had put in a crop during the 
spring; that then the father had returned to 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 


73 


Illinois for the women folks, while the son had 
finished the crop; that the father and mother and 
daughter had reached there in the middle of the 
previous afternoon. 

When it came time for morning devotions, the 
father said, as he took the Book: 

“Will one of you read a chapter for us?” 

“No, sir,” responded Gurley. “We are not 
worthy. You read, and mention me in your 
prayers, sir.” 

“And pray for me, also,” added Hamilton, 
heartily. 

“Have you anything special you would like to 
sing?” 

“Do you know: 

“ ‘Savior, let thy pitying eye 
Call back a wandering sheep’?” 

“Yes, we know it well.” 

“Please sing it, then.” 

Mr. Jones had intended to read the Twenty- 
third Psalm, but he changed his mind while they 
were singing and selected the Fortieth Psalm. 
While he was reading how God lifted David’s 
feet up from the miry clay and placed them on 
the Rock, Gurley passed up to the Rock. Just 
as they were kneeling, he said gently: 

“Excuse me, Brother Jones, but I want very 


74 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

much to lead in prayer, after all. I am a dif¬ 
ferent man from what I was when you started 
to read that chapter.” 

Gurley’s prayer was a thanksgiving for the 
family altar, and especially for this one. He was 
very happy, but a man of speech, so he was able 
to keep his thoughts in motion and to clothe 
them in the right language. It was like a prairie 
fire. All of the others, except Hamilton, led in 
prayer, before they arose from their knees. 

Elijah Green remarked, in relating this inci¬ 
dent, that it so often happens that an out-break¬ 
ing skeptic will get into the Kingdom ahead of 
a nominal believer, when they both start at the 
same time. But Hamilton was mightily saved 
that day, while they were riding along on the last 
lap of their long journey from Ohio. 

Hamilton dropped medicine the next fall and 
entered the ministry. Gurley became one of the 
strongest laymen in the State, and died in 
triumph. 

RECORD SHORT TIME IN CONVERSION 

In the second year of his supernumerary rela¬ 
tion, Elijah once found himself in a nice little 
city of central Indiana, during a revival. The 
crowds in attendance could not secure admission, 
so that the vestibules, the class rooms, and even 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 


75 


the sidewalks were crowded. Elijah shortly be¬ 
came employed on the sidewalk, talking religion, 
and led many to the altar for prayer. 

One evening, he accosted a young man on the 
outskirts of the crowd: 

“Brother, are you studying about your salva¬ 
tion 4 ?” 

“Yes, sir; and I want salvation very much.” 

“Have you been to the altar?” 

“No, sir; this is the first time I have been to 
the meeting.” 

“Come and go with me to the altar.” They 
were standing where they could see right up the 
auditorium to the chancel. Just at that moment 
some one was converted, and the crowd surged 
up and filled the aisle. The young man replied: 

“It would be very hard for me to get to the 
altar. Is it necessary for me to go there?” 

“No, indeed; one place is as good as another. 
The advantage in the altar is, that there are many 
people up there to pray for you.” 

“It doesn’t seem that it will be very hard for 
me to get religion, so I don’t think I need very 
many to pray for me.” 

“Suppose we kneel right here on the sidewalk.” 

“I think there are some fellows around here 
that might disturb us.” Then, tentatively: “If 
we could only find some private place where we 
may pray together.” 


76 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“All right; let’s go down the street among the 
freight cars.” 

It was only two blocks to the railroad, where 
a number of empties were standing idle. They 
went in between two tracks full of cars and knelt 
on the ground. With great simplicity, the boy 
said: 

“Now, God, you know me, and you know I 
want religion. You know I have been a pretty 
tough fellow, but you know that I cut out all of 
the tough business this afternoon. I want salva¬ 
tion. I see that it will be pretty hard to keep 
straight without religion. I don’t seem to know 
very well how to talk to you, so I have brought 
this gentleman along, and I’ll let him put the 
thing up to you in proper shape.” Then Elijah 
prayed: 

“O God, thou hast said, £ Him that cometh 
unto me, I will in no wise cast out.’ Help this 
man to understand that right this very minute. 
Fact is, there doesn’t seem to be any need for 
delay.” Here the suppliant interrupted: 

“Why, no, God. If you said that, it looks to 
me like the next move is up to you. Oh, stranger, 
He has done it! He has done it! I am all right. 
Hurrah for Jesus!” 

They shortly made their way back to the meet¬ 
ing, praising God, in their several ways, for his 
goodness. Elijah ascertained that his new-found 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 77 

friend had been convicted only that afternoon. 
He had not been reared religiously, so he was all 
at sea as to the procedure. He had come to the 
meeting for the purpose of going to the altar, 
but the house was crowded before his arrival, and 
he was wandering on the outskirts of the crowd 
when he met Elijah. Now that he was con¬ 
verted, he was very eager to find out all possible 
about his new life. Elijah gave him his own 
Testament and advised him to read the book of 
Mark first, and, if possible, at one sitting. The 
minister saw the convert about six months after¬ 
wards in an adjoining town, where he had gone to 
a Y. M. C. A. Convention. He was greatly 
pleased to meet his guide into the Heavenly 
Way. He said: 

“I know something more about religion than I 
did the night I first met you. I was so raw at 
that time, I wonder how I ever found God. 5 ’ 

“I have thought several times that that was the 
reason you found Him so easily. Your only 
thought was salvation, and that mighty quick. 
With nothing to distract your attention, you ran 
right into the Kingdom.” 

Elijah says that he believes this conversion to 
be the record short case, to his knowledge. I cited 
the case of Saul of Tarsus, but Elijah replied 
that Saul was convicted, and was then three days 
under conviction. Undoubtedly Elijah’s mind 


78 


ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 


was directed to the right Scripture in his prayer 
between the freight cars. 

A TEN YEARS’ QUEST 

A case in sharp contrast to the foregoing oc¬ 
curred at a meeting at old Pennington’s Chapel, 
where the pastor asked Elijah to preach for him 
during a two weeks’ service. At this meeting, 
one young man came to the altar every night. 
He had been reared in the Church; had always 
gone to Sunday school and prayer meeting; 
never missed Circuit Preaching; was strictly 
moral; but had no evangelical knowledge of 
Christ. 

Elijah was very busy in this meeting, during 
the altar exercises, helping, advising, praying 
with many different persons, so he had only an 
altar acquaintance with this seeker. 

The last meeting of the series had come. Sev¬ 
eral had been converted; the benediction had been 
pronounced; the greater part of the people had 
left the house; but this young John Hoagland 
was still at the altar. Elijah stooped down to 
his ear, and whispered: 

“John, nearly every one has left the house; 
wouldn’t you better rise to your feet 4 ?” Hoag¬ 
land arose, and the minister clasped hands with 
him across the chancel rail. 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 79 

“Oh, Brother Green, why is it so hard for me 
to get to Jesus ? Two hundred have been saved 
here, and I am still seeking.” 

“I am sure that I don’t know, John, just what 
is the reason you are not satisfied. Maybe you 
have, in some way, been prescribing to yourself 
precisely how the blessing shall come. Perhaps 
you think there is a special efficacy in this par¬ 
ticular place. But you are in earnest about it, 
and will be gloriously saved some day, some¬ 
where. And John, allow me to say this: The 
thing you are hunting for is worth a lifetime of 
search. If you should find Jesus precious to your 
soul only one hour before you die, that hour re¬ 
maining will compensate for all of the sorrow 
you will have endured in the search. Now good- 
by. We may never meet again on earth, but I 
trust that we shall meet again in heaven.” 

The busy scenes and cares of Elijah Green’s 
active life after that night entirely obliterated 
the circumstance from his memory. Ten years 
afterwards, a dear friend who lived some dozen 
miles from Pennington’s Chapel wrote him a 
letter, in which she said: 

“Last Sunday, a new member came to our class 
at Sharp’s Mills, from Pennington’s Chapel. He 
was at Class Meeting in the afternoon and made 
a talk something as follows: 

“ ‘Ten years ago last November, I was in a 


80 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

meeting at Pennington’s Chapel, run by a min¬ 
ister by the name of Elijah Green. I went to 
the altar at every opportunity, without finding 
peace. On the last day, a Sunday, Brother 
Green, while holding my hand, told me never to 
give up the search, and if I should be a lifetime 
seeking, and find religion only an hour before I 
should die, there would be enough joy in that one 
hour to compensate for all the sorrow I might 
endure in the search. Well, I sought for ten 
years. One day last spring, I was meditating on 
my condition, when I said, quite offhand, but 
very sincerely: “Lord, it makes extremely little 
difference to me how you save me, just so I am 
saved.” And do you know, just then salvation 
came. Oh, how happy I was! The words of 
Brother Green, that one hour of conversion 
would make up for all the sorrow I would suffer 
in getting to Christ, came so gloriously true.’ ” 
How very little we know about what we are 
saying and doing! Here was a minister of God, 
in labors abundant, saying a thing which he im¬ 
mediately forgot, but which sank deep in another 
human consciousness. Through ten years, those 
words clung to the memory of him to whom they 
were spoken. By mere good fortune, the min¬ 
ister’s friend was present, when Hoagland related 
his experience at Sharp’s Mills. Thus the min- 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 


81 


ister learned of the consummation of the event 
for which he had prayed so many years before. 
How many influences of his life are there of 
which he will never hear in this world? Well, 
what is the difference if he never hears in this 
world? 


A CIRCUS CLOWN AND A GOOD BOY 

Among all of the irreligious classes with whom 
I have come in contact, I believe that actors 
would be the most susceptible to religious influ¬ 
ences—as a class. I was on a morning paper 
once, in a small city, where I had the task of 
“writing up” the constantly changing features of 
the theatrical programs. But I found myself 
more interested in the actors’ private lives than 
in their public careers. I shortly came to believe 
that actors, as a class, are irreligious on account 
of the dissipating influences with which they are 
surrounded. Their profession, in its legitimate 
practice, is a friend of morality and religion, but 
the dissolute environment of the stage has de¬ 
bauched it. 

These reflections were started in my mind 
when I heard the horrific experience of Silvertop, 
a circus clown, and the friend of Elijah Green. 

This clown was a man of domestic tastes, re- 


82 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

fined sensibilities, strong religious convictions, and 
earnest moral tendencies. But he was never two 
nights in the same place, and his intimates in the 
circus business never inclined him to matrimony 
and a family. 

The coarse, garish life which he led suppressed 
nearly all refinement; while skepticism had no 
place in his system—or lack of system, he had 
no opportunity for the cultivation of his spiritual 
nature; the prevailing looseness broke down his 
moral fiber. 

Yet Silvertop loathed his life. He wanted a 
wife in a home with pictures and books and 
music. He wanted to go to church on Sunday; 
to be a decent, God-fearing member of society in 
some settled place of abode. But he must make 
the people laugh, when his own heart was full 
of tears. The tragedy of it! 

The almost inevitable result was a resort to 
drink. The only part of his spiritual heritage 
that had not been squandered was the memory 
of a sainted mother, and the badly frayed Testa¬ 
ment she had given him when he left home. This 
he frequently read as the caravan was slowly 
moving from place to place. 

But the drink habit grew upon him, and he 
;grew less and less reliable. He was “fired” at 
last, and left in a little country town. He did 
not stay longer than it would take him to get to- 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 83 

gether money with which to go to a near-by city, 
where he “slowly descended the drunkard’s stair¬ 
way to the nethermost hell . 55 

But not without many manful attempts to re¬ 
cover sovereignty over himself did he go down 
so low. Several times did he “climb out of the 
pit by digging finger- and toenails in its slimy 
sides.” At last he could “no longer procure 
liquor, because he no longer had money.” He 
went into a delirium in which snakes writhed 
about his body and limbs, toads glimmered before 
his eyes, and the cavernous jaws of alligators 
yawned in front of him. After forty-eight hours 
of this agony, he came to himself in a hospital 
ward. Of course, his first request was for liquor, 
but it was refused. And then again he suffered 
“the agonies of the damned.” 

After a time, he recovered lucidity. A kindly 
man, of a benignant and wholesome countenance, 
stood beside him. Silvertop was only vaguely 
sane, so he inquired: 

“Are you the Lord Jesus ?” 

“Indeed, no. But I hope I am a follower of 
His; however unworthy I am, that says so. 
Mayhap I can do something for you in His 
name . 55 

“Do you guess that you could help me out of 
this torment with a prayer 4 ?” 

“I can try, at least. And be you full of faith 


84 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

that the Lord will give you what you want.” 

Then the suppliant reminded Christ very ear¬ 
nestly of how he had been in the same deplorable 
state as this poor sufferer, and of how His all- 
powerful blood had cleansed him from the sin of 
intemperance. The earnestness and sincerity of 
his tones impressed the poor, bedeviled Silvertop. 
He was soothed and helped, but he did not, at 
that time, get the assurance of victory. His new 
friend asked him if he thought he could go to a 
Gospel Temperance meeting that night. Silver- 
top said that he would try. After promising to 
send some one for him, the clown’s new-found 
friend departed. 

When Silvertop arrived in the vast auditorium 
where the meetings were in progress, he saw his 
friend of the afternoon seated on the platform. 
He whispered to his guide: 

“Who is the man on the platform that sent 
you for me?’ 

“Oh, he is an Irishman, by the name of 
Murphy.” 

“Not Frank Murphy, the temperance lec¬ 
turer?” 

“That same. And he will lecture to-night.” 

Then Silvertop heard his own case nearly 
duplicated by the experience of Murphy, and at 
the close he signed the pledge “with malice to¬ 
ward none; but with charity for all.” He asked 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 85 

Jesus to help him keep the pledge, which He did, 
until the end. He went onto the lecture plat¬ 
form himself, and did great good. He settled 
in a conservative old community, married a win¬ 
some girl, and died in great peace, with his wife, 
two children, and many friends around him. 

Elijah Green was present one evening at a 
meeting held by Silvertop. He related his ex¬ 
perience with the drink demon as graphically as 
it can be fancied. He was followed on the pro¬ 
gram by a young man whom Elijah had induced 
to apply for a license to preach. Elijah was 
pretty intimate with this boy, but was not pre¬ 
pared for the speech which he made, substantially 
as follows: 

“I am always inclined to look askance at my 
own Christian experience, when I hear men like 
Brother Silvertop tell how wonderfully they were 
saved from sin. My knowledge of sin is all hear¬ 
say. I do not know the taste of any alcoholic 
beverage. I have never told a lie; I have never 
profaned the name of God; I have never broken 
the Sabbath. I have always dealt honestly with 
my fellowman; I never took so much as the value 
of a pin from any one, by fraud. While I have 
sometimes been obliged, by force of circum¬ 
stances, to listen to obscene language and to talk 
that is off color, I get away from such places as 
quickly as possible. My thoughts of my sainted 


86 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

mother’s sex have always been pure, and, in con¬ 
sequence, so have my actions. 

“On the other hand, I do not remember when 
I was converted. Having no sudden, cataclysmic 
halt in a career of sin, I wonder sometimes if I 
really have been converted. But such thoughts 
linger only for a moment in my mind. For when 
I look carefully into my nature, I find all of the 
potentialities of wickedness lying there, con¬ 
trolled and powerless under the blood of Christ. 

“Is it necessary for me to put my finger on the 
date when the blood of Christ began to atone for 
me? If it is necessary, I am still in the gall of 
bitterness and the bond of iniquity. But if I 
feel the witness of the Spirit to the application 
of the blood, why inquire as to when it was ap¬ 
plied? Between you and me, I am not interested 
as to the when, although I am glad of the fact. 

“It might be thought by some that I cannot 
properly sympathize with Brother Silvertop, but 
it seems to me that I can. I feel so sorry for him 
on account of his great temptations and trials, 
that if it were necessary, in order to shield him 
from further temptation, that I must carry him 
in my arms, I would, for the sake of his soul, 
undertake the task. I want to shield every young 
man in this community from like dangers. And, 
although I never have wanted to drink intoxicat¬ 
ing liquors—never expect to have the least desire 


CONTRASTED CONVERSIONS 87 

to do so—I shall try to be the first one to sign 
the pledge, when it is presented to-night.” 

That night Green was the guest of Isaac Sands, 
who had reared this local preacher who had made 
this extraordinary speech. As they were sitting 
around the evening lamp, he remarked: 

“That was a singular speech of Tommy’s, to¬ 
night.” 

“But singular as you say it is, it is not more 
so than the facts it related,” was the response. 

“Then you believe all that he said 4 ?” 

“With all my heart. I took Tommy to raise 
at the age of ten years, when his father died, and 
I have never known of his making the least step 
out of the path of rectitude. What is there sin¬ 
gular about it 4 ? Was not John the Baptist filled 
with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb 4 ?” 

“And I had nothing to add,” Elijah remarked, 
as he told the story. “More than that; I have 
casually found two other men with precisely the 
same story. One of them lived at Bartlett, 
Tenn., and the other at Fedora, S. Dak. If I had 
gone about looking for women with the same 
history, I presume that I might have found hun¬ 
dreds during the same time.” 








V: RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE 

AND JOY 


It is surely tune for teachers of Chris¬ 
tianity to recognize the fact that soft say¬ 
ings about virtue , the poetic portrayals of a 
sentimental God who loves prayer and praise 
more than He loves righteousness are not 
likely to Christianize the world. There 
must be more iron in the blood of the 
Church. 


Bishop Leete. 


V 


Righteousness , Peace , and Joy . 

“Hello, there, Americus, come out to the gate 
a moment.” 

“Hello, Parson, light and come in.” 

“No, Americus, really I haven’t the time. I 
shall keep you only a moment.” The big woods¬ 
man, scarcely twenty, stuck his ax into the chop¬ 
ping block and lounged out to the gate. He 
affectionately twisted the fingers of his right hand 
in the mane of Green’s thoroughbred, squeezed 
the minister’s right knee playfully with his left 
hand, and waited. 

“Americus, I have something very important to 
say and not much time to say it in. You know 
how much I want to stop this barn burning?” 

“I know you seem to be interested in it right 
sharply.” 

“Well, I’ve come to ask you to stop it.” The 
big fellow shot a keen glance at Green. 

“How you reckon I can stop it?” 

“I’m sure I don’t know exactly how, old man. 

But it’s your duty, as a good citizen, to put an 

end to this lawlessness. You are on good terms 

with the rough element, and I feel that in some 

91 


92 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

way you can get next to the men who are doing 
the dirt.” 

“Do I look like a spy, Mr. Green?” 

“Now, here, Americus, we must back-fire in 
this case. Somebody, with the devil in his heart, 
is in mighty low-down dirty business, destroying 
property. Somebody else, with the love of God 
in his heart, must catch that fellow with the devil 
in his heart. I say that you are the man for the 
job. I don’t know how you will do it, but I 
fully expect results in a week or two.” 

“You sure have the master way with you, ’Lije. 
,You took up correctin’ the rolls, church buildin’, 
repairin’, debt payin’, harnessed up the old wheel 
hosses an’ made ’em work. As the pastor, that 
was your duty. But this here matter belongs to 
the law. Seems like the sheriff is the one to 
order me onto this work.” 

“He is the one; but he hasn’t moved in the 
matter, so I take it on myself. It’s as much my 
duty to see the law obeyed, as it is the duty of 
any other man. It is every good citizen’s duty, 
and surely a minister of God ought to be a good 
citizen. Now, Americus, I’m depending on you 
—don’t fail me.” 

Here the Rev. Elijah Green touched up his 
horse and cantered down the road toward Brown’s 
Camp Ground. Doogan strolled thoughtfully 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 93 

into the house and sat down in his bachelor 
quarters, where he could see the crayon portraits 
of his father and mother. Darkness found him 
there, looking at those pictures. Then he aroused 
himself and said: 

“Well, ’Lije is dependin’ on me; I’ll not fail.” 
He now ate a few bites and went to bed. Before 
daylight he was on his way to the county seat, 
where the Grand Jury was in session. 

At Brown’s Camp Ground, the minister found 
his building committee assembled on the dot. 
They had learned to be punctual with him. He 
stood before the pulpit and said: 

“Brethren, we have talked away our day of 
grace on this thing of building a new church for 
a society of a hundred and fifty members, whose 
taxables amount, in the aggregate, to $150,000. 
There is a particularly cunning devil in charge of 
affairs here—the devil of penuriousness. I fear 
that he will go not out, except by prayer. Let 
us pray.” 

They knelt, and the minister, in an intimately 
affectionate manner, told their Heavenly Father 
how the forbears of these men had laid the foun¬ 
dations of a strong spirituality here in this old 
log meetinghouse. Their spirits were before 
The Throne, while their bodies lay in the ceme- 


94 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

tery near at hand. Their work, for their time, 
was good, but it must be followed up by other 
good work in this day and time. Numbers had 
increased, and the needs of the people had grown 
in many ways. A new building was necessary, 
but the neighborhood was split into seven fac¬ 
tions, so it seemed impossible to get the people 
together except with the compelling love of the 
All Father. Then, with melting fervor, he asked 
God to remove each of the various causes of 
trouble, carefully going over them seriatim, espe¬ 
cially to take away all cupidity, selfishness, 
penuriousness from the hearts of these leaders. 
Soon the amens began to roll upward, but that 
shepherd held on, and prayed, and prayed, and 
prayed. At last, when he finished, and they 
were about to rise, while he was still on his knees, 
he said: 

“Let us continue in prayer. Brother Frank 
Thomas, lead our prayers.” Never in his life 
did Brother Thomas want to pray quite so badly. 
He opened up by telling the Lord that there never 
was such a set of money lovers and money getters 
as the people of that church. He held himself 
the most culpable in the deadlock about build¬ 
ing, because, financially, he was the ablest man 
in the church. He promised the Lord to do any¬ 
thing that the church might think was right. 
Then, one after another, each of the committee 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 95 

was called upon to pray. They were an hour 
upon their knees. When at last they arose, the 
minister said: 

“Now we are ready for business. Brother 
Gwarthmey, make a minute of the proceedings. 
Brother Thomas, what is your contribution 

“I will put down one dollar on top of every 
dollar subscribed by those you appointed me to 
solicit.” 

“To what will that amount 1 ?” 

“If they were here this evening, it would be easy 
to raise a thousand dollars from them. I will 
guarantee five hundred.” 

Green had selected for the building committee 
these seven men, representing seven factions in 
the society. The other six men guaranteed 
$3,000. In the later Seventies of the last cen¬ 
tury, $4,000 meant a building above the average 
of country churches. At the close, this hustler 
for God urged: 

“Now, brethren, it will be necessary to get 
busy, so as to have a sum on hands by next Mon¬ 
day evening at seven o’clock large enough to en¬ 
able us to make a building contract. It seems 
that we will have a building as good for these 
times as this house was for your forefathers’ 
day.” 

It was Green’s practice to spend every night 


96 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

possible in his bachelor quarters at the parsonage 
in Mockville; so he rode home that night. 

As recorded elsewhere, he had been on the 
supernumerary list for two years, banking money 
on which to proceed, without hindrance in his 
loved work of the rural ministry, and on re¬ 
entering the effective ranks he had asked for the 
hardest work in the Conference. He had re¬ 
ceived this six-class circuit. He was preaching 
three times every Sunday; getting around the 
circuit for preaching and prayer meeting once in 
two weeks. 

From the first, he had set a new pace for his 
people. When the officiary had come to assess 
the salary for Green, he had said with finality 
that he asked only $350, because there was 
so much required for benevolences, repair of 
churches, debt-paying, building, etc., that he 
wanted the salary fixed at a figure which could 
easily be paid. It was urged that it would look 
bad for the figures on the Annual Conference 
minutes to show a falling off on the assessment 
of salary. Green replied that they had assessed 
themselves $500 the year before and had paid 
$367. 

“I would rather for you to promise me $350, 
and pay me $351, than for you to promise $500, 
and pay only $499.” Some one said: 

“Let Brother Green have his way, even 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 97 

though it does look bad.” The minister retorted: 

“It seems to me that it will look honest, any¬ 
how.” Thus the Rev. Elijah Green took the 
Decalogue to the Mockville Circuit. 

The morning after the meeting at Brown’s 
Camp Ground he was up at five; a plunge in the 
river; breakfast at the hotel; three hours of 
study; an hour’s correspondence; dinner at the 
hotel; away to Livonia for its Tuesday night 
prayer meeting. At the close of this meeting, he 
started back to Mockville, in company with 
Brother Hurst, who lived out of town a half mile. 
When well out of town, Hurst remarked: 

“I was up to Karaden to-day, attending circuit 
court. You might have knocked me down with 
a feather, when the grand jury returned that in¬ 
dictment against Americus Doogan.” 

“What indictment?” roared Green. 

“Why, I supposed that you knew all about it. 
He says that you convinced him that he ought to 
confess to the burning.” 

“Has Americus been burning the barns?” 

“He says he has. He is now in jail, but as 
happy as an angel, he says. He wants to stand 
trial, and pay the penalty.” 

“Oh, the poor boy. Why, Hurst, this is sim¬ 
ply awful.” 

“I supposed that you advised him to plead 
guilty.” 


98 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“Not I. Why, I had the greatest confidence 
in him. I went to him only yesterday, and told 
him that I wanted him to stop this barn burning.” 

“Well, I guess he has stopped it, all right. 
But here is my lane. Good night.” 

A short distance further, the parson came to 
a fork in the road, where the right prong led to 
Karaden, while the left went to Mockville. He 
took the right, and at midnight he went to bed 
in a hotel in a county seat, instead of the par¬ 
sonage at Mockville. He was up early the next 
morning, and went to see William Tracy, the 
best lawyer in town. He employed him and 
asked: 

“What can be done for this boy Doogan*?” 

“I don’t know anything, except to recommend 
him for clemency.” 

“What will the penalty be*?” 

“Two years and upward in the penitentiary.” 

“But in view of his contrition and confession, 
can we not get the barn owners satisfied, and keep 
him out of prison 4 ?” 

“If he could and would pay for the property 
he has destroyed, and the owners of the property 
should ask for it, we might get the indictment 
quashed.” 

“Well, I shall bring up every man who has 
suffered loss, and they will all ask for the indict- 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 99 

ment to be quashed. When will his case be 
called 

“To-day, probably. Doogan threw himself 
entirely on the court and declared that he would 
not employ counsel. But the court appointed my 
son Bob his counsel. Bob doesn’t see any way 
out, except to plead for the clemency of the court. 
Americus says that he has been burning the barns 
of men who have wronged his parents or himself, 
but he now sees that he was all wrong. He has 
a little property and he wants it divided among 
the barn owners. He made quite a little speech 
and told the court that you had inadvertently 
convinced him of the wrong of the barn burning. 
He said: 

“ ‘I want to reimburse the owners as far as 
possible for their losses, and then I wish to pay 
the penalty for the crimes.’ ” 

“Well, when the case comes up, have it post¬ 
poned until to-morrow. I shall then have all of 
the barn owners in court. Don’t tell Americus 
that I have been here. I’ll go straight down 
into the Buck Creek country. I am personally 
acquainted with every man who has been injured, 
and can influence all of them to let him off.” 

“I trust that you are not mistaken, Parson. I 
know those men, and am afraid you will have 
hard sledding.” 

* 

b , . ’ > 

) ' 

> i > 


100 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“You’ll see. Good-by, till to-morrow.” 

If Tracy had known the argument that Green 
was going to use with the barn owners, he would 
not have been so skeptical of his success. 

Green was glad that he bestrode a good horse 
before he got to bed that night. Otherwise, he 
would not have seen all five of his men. He had 
learned the damage to each and had then asked: 

“If I make good this loss with cash, will you 
ask the court to quash the indictment*?” They 
had all acquiesced in this arrangement, taking his 
check in payment. He had enjoined secrecy on 
each and had stayed all night with Amos Turner, 
the last man he saw. 

These men were present with Green in court 
when the case was called. The judge had been 
privately informed of what they wanted to do, 
so he did not call for the prisoner. The Tracys 
presented their petition to have the indictment 
quashed, and the prosecuting attorney moved that 
it be so ordered. The clerk made the necessary 
entry, after which the barn owners and Green 
left the court and went to the jail. Americus was 
astounded when he was told that he was free. 
Then his pastor sternly inquired: 

“Americus, why have you, a member of the 
church, so shamefully abused my confidence^” 
The boy replied: 

“I joined the church and professed religion so 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 101 

as to be on equal footing with these other hypo¬ 
crites. They all belong to the church, but they 
all injured either my parents or myself. I saw 
that the church covered their dirt, so I used it 
to hide mine. But, ’Lijey, you convinced me that 
I was all wrong, even while you thought I was 
all right.” 

“Tell me, in the presence of these men, just 
what these wrongs are.” 

“You see, Parson, my father and mother were 
both good Christians, and they believed every¬ 
body else was like them. My father was a handy 
man in all of the woodworking trades. He could 
make barrels, furniture, coffins, and could build 
houses and barns. He got together some money 
and bought a piece of land. After he had put 
good buildings on it, Josh Hammond, here, sold 
him a sawmill for a small cash payment and his 
note, secured by a mortgage on the place. Dad 
worked hard at the mill, but lumber went down, 
and the mill, being well worn when he bought 
it, petered out. Dad asked for more time, but 
Josh foreclosed and got the place he is now liv¬ 
ing on, with the buildings. 

“Dad scrapped the old mill for less than a 
hundred dollars and moved to Lavonia to open 
a cabinet shop with the fine walnut and other 
lumber, which he could not sell. Furniture was 
slow sale in a small place like Lavonia, so Dad, 


102 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

working all the time, built up a fine stock, over 
and above the sales. He was on a dicker with a 
man in Karaden for a fair price for the whole 
stock, when Gus Connell comes along and offers 
him a herd of horses for it. The horses looked 
like a whole lot better trade than the Karaden 
man had been offering, so Dad took Gus up. Gus 
didn’t tell Dad that he had lost a hoss the day 
before with the glanders. All but one died inside 
of a month. 

“That left Dad depending on contract work. 
He built a house for Hank Woodell. A year 
passed without Dad getting a settlement from 
Hank, so Dad sued him on a mechanic’s lien. It 
turned out that the house was on land belonging 
to Hank’s wife. Dad ought to have sued her, 
but he said, 1 hope I am too much of a gentle¬ 
man to go to law with a lady.’ 

“Then Billy Woods pretended to give Dad an 
acre of land to build a house on. My mother 
died there, three year ago. You know, Parson, 
it’s a mighty nice little home. It’s right in the 
woods, but handy to the store, school, post-office, 
the meeting house, and other places. No deed 
ever passed, so when Dad died a little over a year 
ago, Billy told me he must have possession. I 
hated awful bad to give the place up, so I per¬ 
suaded him to let me pay him for it with farm 
work. I worked six months for an acre of land 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 103 

worth about twenty-five dollars before Dad built 
on it. 

“After Mother’s death, Dad bought a peddling 
route, team and wagon from Amos Turner. He 
went along, paying on his outfit every month for 
a year, when one of the hosses died. Dad had 
paid about four-fifths of the purchase price, and 
had the best hoss of the team left. He wanted to 
swap the wagon for a one-hoss wagon, and go 
on peddlin’, but the note was due and Turner 
sued on the chattel mortgage and got the hoss 
an’ wagon. 

“That seemed to take all the whey out of Dad, 
an’ he died a short time afterwards. While I was 
workin’ that six months for Billy Woods, I 
studied a lot on the skulduggery of these men 
and concluded I would get even with them. I 
kept friendly with them, an’ as I belonged to the 
church, nobody suspected me of barn burning. 
Of course, neither Dad nor Mother would have 
agreed to it. You arguing about it all the time 
thinking some one else was guilty, convinced me 
I ought to confess the crimes and suffer the con¬ 
sequences.” 

These five men had stood with bowed heads 
while Americus had gone through with his merci¬ 
less recital. At the close, there was a silent mo¬ 
ment. Amos Turner first relieved the tension. 

“So far as I am concerned, Parson, I won’t 


104 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

have anything for my barn. Here is your check. 
Americus has told the truth about me. I see how 
he was trying to right his wrongs. It doesn't 
help my case any to know that he went about it 
in the wrong way. He is doubly orphaned, and 
having no one to advise him, he took vengeance 
himself, instead of leaving it to God.” Now the 
the rest of them gave their checks back to Green, 
Doogan slowly comprehending the part his pas¬ 
tor had taken. He burst out: 

“ ’Lijey, did you pay these men for the barns 
I burnt 4 ?” 

Green was speechless, for he had not wanted 
Doogan to know of what he had done. Billy 
Woods impulsively exclaimed: 

44 Yes, ’Mericus, ’Lijey saved you—” 

44 And all the rest of us,” solemnly intoned Amos 
Turner. 44 He has saved us from sharp dealings 
and hypocrisy. For my part, I work righteous¬ 
ness from this day.” 

“And so will I,” added all the others. 

“Let us all go home to dinner with Americus. 
We can make it by riding a little hard. We 
will take along oysters, ham, and other stuff for 
a big spread—have a regular stag party. There 
won’t be a woman in a quarter of a mile. Then 
we will drum up a big crowd for the prayer meet¬ 
ing at Rehobeth, to-night. I want to talk about 
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 105 

Ghost. This people always had the joy, seem¬ 
ingly. But the Bible puts righteousness first, 
then peace, and then joy. We shall take right¬ 
eousness and peace to the Rehobeth meeting 
to-night, and there will be joy a-plenty.” 

It is small wonder that afterwards young 
Doogan placed the Rev. Elijah Green on the 
highest pedestal. 

Rotterdam was a point on Green’s Circuit 
situated in Rosey County, while the rest of the 
charge lay in Hendrix County. In all civic and 
commercial ways it was separate and apart from 
the other parts of the circuit. In May of his 
first year, Green went to Rotterdam for his 
regular Sunday evening appointment, with the 
asthma worrying him. He always remained in 
Rotterdam over Tuesday evening for prayer 
meeting, because it was so difficult to return to 
Mockville from that point. But when time came 
to return to Mockville on Wednesday, he was 
so sick that he could not stir out. He asked a 
friend to write to Uncle Hal Lucas, in Mockville, 
what was the matter. In those days, mail be¬ 
tween little inland post-offices played queer 
freaks, and Uncle Hal did not get the letter. 

Green did not get to Mockville until the next 
Wednesday. As he was riding into the village, 
he met and spoke to a little boy of ten, with 


106 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

whom he was familiar. The boy returned his 
salutation with a stare and passed on. All whom 
he met showed incivility—no one spoke to him. 
Deeply troubled, he put up his horse, and sought 
Elkanah Jones, next door. Mr. Jones saw him 
through the windows, and stepping to the door, 
stood outside on the porch, truculent and uncivil. 

“Kaney, do tell me what is the matter with 
the people in this place; I haven’t had a civil 
look since I entered the town.” 

“Perhaps Americus Doogan can inform you— 
if you should find him sober enough,” curtly re¬ 
sponded the neighbor. 

“Where is Americus?” 

“I saw him go into Whalley’s saloon, an hour 
ago,” said Kaney, as he turned and reentered 
the house, closing the door after him. 

The minister whirled and walked rapidly 
down town. He saw Doogan, unsteadily making 
his way along the opposite sidewalk. In a mo¬ 
ment, the men faced each other. The minister 
impulsively seized the drunken man’s arm. 

“Americus, old man, you’ve got to go home 
with me.” Doogan had recoiled at first, but that 
touch on the arm reached his heart, and he went 
along without a word. The man looked hag¬ 
gard, as well as drunk. The minister rightly sur¬ 
mised that he had been carousing and had not 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 107 

slept lately, so he got him to bed. Shortly he 
was in a profound slumber. 

It was noon, and Green ate a few bites from 
a store of things he kept in the house for emer¬ 
gencies. He could only wait, with his feelings 
in a turmoil. What could the matter be? At 
supper time, he again ate in the parsonage. At 
daylight on Thursday, Americus awoke. 

“Good morning, Americus; have you had a 
good nap?” 

“I’m in the parsonage—ain’t I?” 

“Surely. Been here since yesterday. This is 
Thursday. Come, now; pull yourself together, 
and tell me how you came to get drunk.” 

“Why, it was the report of your trouble over 
at Rotterdam.” 

“You mean to say that my little attack of 
asthma threw you off your kazipp?” 

“Now, here, Parson, Sam Billings was over to 
Greenmont, the day you was bound over, on your 
own recognizance, for a statutory offense against 
a girl twelve years old.” 

In all of Green’s imaginings of what could be 
the matter, nothing like this had occurred to him. 
While the man lay asleep, he had said a thou¬ 
sand times: 

“I must be calm when the blow comes. I must 
not allow my feelings to get beyond control.” 


108 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

So, with all the powers of his soul, he mastered 
his impulses. But the effort stupiffed him for a 
moment, in which he sat vacantly staring at 
Doogan. At last, in a thin voice, he asked: 

“Who is Sam Billings ?” 

“He is the owner of the sawmill on Buck 
Creek, about a mile above where you ford, going 
to Lavonia.” Then very wistfully, he added: 

“Say, ’Lijey, tell me it ain’t so.” 

“It is utterly false.” Then that big fellow 
groveled on the floor at the minister’s feet, which 
he caught in his hands and kissed. 

“Oh, ’Lijey, ’ Lijey, forgive me, forgive me. 
When you didn’t come to Rehobeth last Sunday 
afternoon, every one was wondering what was 
the matter. I rode down here Monday morning, 
to find out what was the matter. I met Sam 
Billings at the Buck Creek Ford and told him 
what I was coming down here for. He said that 
you had been taken from Rotterdam to Green- 
mont by the sheriff, and that he saw you there in 
court on Saturday. It jest nachelly upset me, 
Parson, an’ I come on down to Mockville in a 
whoop—been drunker’n a b’iled owl ever since.” 

“Well, let’s have some breakfast; then I’ll go 
to see Mr. Billings.” 

“All right; I’ll go with you.” 

“No, I prefer to go alone. I shall be back in 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 109 

an hour or two. You stay here in the parsonage. 
Don’t go near the saloon.” 

“You needn’t fear.” 

These men had frequently entertained each 
other at their bachelor quarters, when they “flew 
in” and helped each other with the housekeeping. 
Green preferred not to go down town for break¬ 
fast. His feelings had been cruelly hurt, and he 
shrank from meeting people who had lost faith 
in him, even on account of a falsehood. He 
would come back from Sam Billings’s mill with 
a complete vindication, when every one’s trust 
would be entirely restored and strengthened. At 
the table, Doogan tentatively inquired: 

“What do you propose to do when you get to 
the mill?” 

“Circumstances must govern the case. Maybe 
I shall feel under obligations to beat the devil 
out of Mr. Billings.” 

“Ain’t that rough language for a preacher- 
man?” 

“It is pretty rough. But when you come to 
think of it, it is not so bad as it sounds. We 
prayed the devil of penuriousness out of Brown’s 
Camp Ground. The devil of falsehood must 
come out of Billings—what’s the matter with 
knocking it out?” 

After breakfast, the shepherd grimly mounted, 


110 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

and started out to find the wolf who had torn 
his lamb. 

Green had been gone scarcely a half hour, 
when a packet came down the river with the mail. 
The postmaster handed a letter to Hal Lucas, the 
spiritual patriarch of the village. This letter 
was postmarked “Rotterdam,” and should have 
come over the route via Greenmont and Karaden. 
The old man read it and shouted to a large crowd 
assembled in the post-office lobby: 

“All of you listen to this letter: ‘Rotterdam, 
May 1, 1878. Dear Bpother Lucas: Brother 
Green is sick, and the doctor says that he may 
not be able to leave here for a week. Fraternally, 
Charles Ringgold.’ This letter was written a 
week ago yesterday. Where are we at?” 

“We are right at the proposition that Sam 
Billings has told a extry big lie,” said Jim Ander¬ 
son. Immediately a great uproar arose. Instinc¬ 
tively, the crowd started toward the parsonage. 
Every one knew that the minister had taken 
Doogan home the day before, and that he had 
ridden out the Lavonia road that morning. But 
no one had seen Americus that day, and the liv¬ 
eryman said that his nag was still in the stable. 
When, in response to their call, Doogan appeared 
at the door of the parsonage, Lucas waved the 
letter and said: 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 111 

“Americus, we have been all wrong about the 
preacher. He has been sick in Rotterdam. 
Where is he now 4 ? 5 ’ 

“He’s went to Billings’s mill to piously beat 
the devil out of Sam Billings for lying to 
me. 

Lucas exclaimed: 

“Some of you fellows follow him quick. Sam’s 
too big a man for ’Lijey to tackle alone.” Sev¬ 
eral husky young men rushed off for horses, and 
Lucas continued solemnly: 

“Now, the rest of us will go to the church and 
pray till Brother Green gets back to town. We 
must ask God to forgive us for doubting such a 
good man.” 

When Green reached the mill, Billings was 
alone, filing his saw. Glancing up, he saw the 
minister tying his horse to the fence. He rose, 
greatly agitated. 

“Now, Parson, I know what you’ve come for. 
Stay right there for a minute, an’ let me tell you 
all about this here business.” Green stood still, 
and Billings continued: “I know how Americus 
worships the ground you walk on, so I jest wanted 
to see how he would take sech a tale about you, 
expectin’ to correct it ’fore we separated. But 
the second he heerd it, he dug his heels into his 
hoss, an’ went toward Mockville like a crazy 


112 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

man. I followed him to straighten it out, but 
was afraid to explain after I got there.” 

“What were you afraid of?” 

“Afraid the people would lick me. I never 
saw such excitement. Women an’ children 
screamed as though some one was dead. Old 
Hal Lucas swore like a pirate.” 

“Well, you’ve only put off the licking to this 
present moment, for I’m going to lick you to an 
attenuated frazzle. You unbalanced the char¬ 
acter of a man as a cold-blooded experiment, and 
you deserve the worst I can do for you.” 

Green had forgotten his own wrongs in his hot 
indignation for the wrong that had been done 
Doogan. He took off his coat, vest, and collar, 
and climbed the fence. But Billings, a great 
fighter himself, made no move. Instead he said 
conciliatorially: 

“There’s a better way to settle the thing, 
Parson. Anyhow, you don’t get any fight out of 
me.” Green had come close. 

“Are you afraid?” 

“No, sir, I’m not afraid; seein’ I weigh fifty 
pounds more’n you do, an’ I’ve scrapped men fifty 
pounds heavier’n I am. I’m nachelly ashamed 
of the whole thing, an’ want to do all I can be¬ 
fore the public to make it right. I propose to 
go to Mockville, get the people together in the 


RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY 113 

church, an 5 let me tell ’em the plain straight of 
the thing. Now, if nothin’ but a fight will suit 
you, it will be a one-sided fight, for I don’t in¬ 
tend to lift my hand.” After a moment, Green 
said: 

“All right; get your horse, and we’ll go to 
Mockville. But aren’t you afraid to go there?” 

“Not with you along.” 

They had gone but a short distance when they 
met the squad which Lucas had sent after Green. 
Billings explained, and they all returned to town 
together. They went directly to the church. 
The minister and the liar marched up the aisle 
together. Americus was on the front seat of the 
Amen corner. Green faced the audience: 

“Brethren, there has been a misunderstanding. 
Mr. Billings will make everything clear.” 
Billings said: 

“Mr. Green is kind enough to call it a mis¬ 
understanding. The fact is that it is a plain, 
fine large lie out of whole cloth. I jest wanted 
to see how much faith Americus had in Mr. 
Green. I had no idee it would tear up things as 
it has. I ax all of your pardon. Most special 
I ax Americus’s pardon. It was the lowest down, 
dirtiest lie I ever told. An’, neighbors, I’m done 
with lyin’. I’ll never tell another lie.” Jim An¬ 
derson arose and said: 


114 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“Sam, you are such an awful liar, that we can 
hardly believe you when you say that you will 
never lie again.” 

“I know that generally I have been a liar, but 
this time I’m telling the truth. I’ll never lie 
again.” 

Green now entered the pulpit and preached a 
most searching sermon against falsehood. From 
that meeting a passion for righteousness spread 
over the entire circuit. Right in the busy corn¬ 
planting season, a revival started which brought 
numbers into the church to fill up the gaps where 
Green had cut out “dead timber.” He had been 
told that dropping so many names from the roll 
would look bad in the statistics; but the Mock- 
ville statistics showed up very well after all, in 
the Annual Conference minutes. 


VI: WHEN ELIJAH FAILED 


The safety of all we have is due to the 
churches , even in their present inefficient 
and inactive state. By all that we hold 
dear , let us from this very day give more 
time , money , and thought to the churches of 
our city , for upon these the value of all we 
own ultimately depends. 

Roger W. Rabson. 


VI 


When Elijah Failed 

I introduced the Rev. Elijah Green to the 
reader on a railroad train in Wyoming, in the 
later years of his ministry. His work, related in 
other parts of this book, has fallen in different 
parts of the Union. Singular to relate, his “pile” 
was a bar to settlement for any length of time 
in any one Conference. He found several diffi¬ 
culties constantly cropping out, wherever it be¬ 
came known that he had $1,000 a year income 
besides his salary as pastor. It had a tendency 
to pauperize his people; it worked hardship on 
his successors who could not lay off work on his 
liberal lines; it furnished excuses for delin¬ 
quencies. So he was constantly on the move 
from one Conference to another. After a few 
years, he became so well acquainted with the gen¬ 
eral needs of the churches over the country that 
he knew just where he had better go. While he 
said that he took what the Bishop gave him, that 
was generally the hardest problem in the Confer¬ 
ence where he had just moved—because the 
bishops came to know him and his penchant for 
difficult tasks. 


117 


118 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

This chapter will show Elijah on a frontier 
circuit between the great Sioux reservations on 
the east, and the Black Hills on the west. It was 
in a country where he had soldiered. He liked 
the rough-and-tumble, catch-as-you-can society of 
the region, and generally held his own in the 
numerous gusty encounters among the cowboys 
and early farmers of that country. But I am 
going to tell of one of his failures. It would be 
easy, like Peter Cartwright, to speak of his suc¬ 
cesses only, but that might leave the impression 
that he never failed, which would be contrary to 
the experience of my readers, contrary to history, 
and contrary to most romance. 

Among the first friends that Elijah made was 
an upstanding, hard-riding, downright fellow by 
the name of McLeod, who owned the W. D. 
brand and ranch. McLeod was a good citizen, as 
citizens went in those days; never cheated at 
cards—nor allowed any one else to cheat where 
he was playing; hated sheep and sheep herders 
with a sort of religiosity; drank a little, but never 
got drunk—that is, he never lost control of his 
legs; had served on vigilance committees on occa¬ 
sions, but had prevented prejudice and personal 
spite from doing harm several times; would fight, 
when he had to, with vim and vigor, but never 
sought a quarrel; in short, was generally known 
as a “jam-up good man.” 


WHEN ELIJAH FAILED 119 

This son of nature “fell for” the pretty face 
and quiet ways of Dolly Mizquet, the daughter 
of a farmer whom McLeod had induced to 
migrate from Illinois to the cattle country. This 
family of three boys, three girls, the father and 
mother, had brought quite a vogue of culture 
into the country. Dolly played the organ, and 
all of the rest sang in the choir. They all be¬ 
longed to the church in Illinois, and it was 
natural for Elijah to expect that the entire 
family would join the church at Fairbrook, when 
it would come time to organize. 

Although Robert McLeod was born and reared 
west of the Missouri, he found that he liked the 
Mizquets. It was his first experience in church¬ 
going, but he took kindly to it. His father, from 
old Scotch Presbyterian stock, had always read 
his Bible for the polemical points he could find 
in it, although his everyday life had been sadly 
deficient in Christian graces and virtues. He 
often said: “I know better than I do.” 

These Mizquets were different, only in respect 
of the time they had been in the West. Pro¬ 
fessing Christians, when they have no vital Chris¬ 
tian experience, who are going along in a Chris¬ 
tian community, living tolerably good lives, 
succumb easily, and fall away readily, when 
they remove to new scenes where restraints are 
not so strong. Elijah felt that he had come in 


120 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

time to keep the Mizquets in line with the best 
in the Christian life. He announced a protracted 
meeting at Fairbrook on his third round, which 
fell about the first of December. 

On the Sunday afternoon of this round, Elijah 
was annoyed by a game of baseball on the prairie, 
in plain view from the open windows. It was 
a lovely day for December in Dakota, and the 
youngsters couldn’t afford to see it go to waste 
by sitting in a stuffy old schoolhouse. The 
Mizquets with McLeod, some elderly people who 
were afraid of catching cold, and some children 
who were made to attend, constituted the audi¬ 
ence that Sunday afternoon. 

This was the third time that McLeod had 
heard Green, and he was a deeply interested lis¬ 
tener. That afternoon, he made the round of 
the stores and drummed up a crowd for the eve¬ 
ning service. The next day, he and three other 
cowboys went over the country, urging the peo¬ 
ple to attend the meetings, and the crowds 
steadily increased until Wednesday night, when 
the house was packed. 

Elijah’s round of themes in a revival was Sin, 
Penitence, New Birth, Pardon; and he preached 
this round over and over. A change of subject 
and text on each recurrence of the theme gave the 
variety which prevented his audience from notic- 


WHEN ELIJAH FAILED 


121 


ing that there was any particular method in his 
program. On Sunday afternoon, he had preached 
on Sin in a graphic way, from the subject, “The 
Vandal of the Soul.” He had returned to Sin 
on Wednesday night and treated it as the deadly, 
repulsive, damning thing that it is. He closed 
with the words: 

“Sin debauches and disfigures the body; pol¬ 
lutes and defiles the imagination; blunts and 
brutalizes the sensibilities; binds and enslaves the 
will; beclouds the intellect. Sin cripples the in¬ 
dividual; disrupts the community; undermines 
society; overthrows the state. Sin is the hideous 
serpent whose slimy path winds in and out 
through history, making it a stench to God and 
man. Sin stultifies art; drags literature into the 
bogs of putridity; misdirects science onto the 
mountains of sophistry and falsehood; creeps into 
the sanctuary itself and drives out the very elect 
into the desert of error and schism. I call on you 
to-night to break with sin. I ask you here and 
now to begin earnestly to extirpate it from your 
own body and soul, as the personal duty you owe 
yourself. I ask you to drive it out of your com¬ 
munity and make a godly citizenry of the ro¬ 
bust inhabitants of these plains; I ask you to look 
to the future and plan for a clear-eyed, straight- 
limbed, clean-lived race of descendants who will 


122 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

fear God, tell the truth, and make money. This 
ought to be the wish of every thoughtful man. 
Let every one who wants to see this country a 
decent, law-abiding, respectable place to live in, 
and to raise children in, rise to his feet.” Every¬ 
body got up. Possibly right there was where 
Elijah made the wrong move. But such a spon¬ 
taneous, unanimous movement has a bewildering 
effect on the oldest campaigners. He contin¬ 
ued: 

“Now, while you are on your feet, let every 
one who will go into an organization whose ob¬ 
ject is to root out sin and work righteousness 
come forward and take seats in front.” Without 
a moment’s hesitation, McLeod stepped to the 
front and sat down. Elijah shook hands with 
him in a transport of exaltation and called for 
more, but no more came. McLeod turned and 
beckoned to the Mizquets, but they averted their 
looks from him. After a moment, Elijah felt 
that he had shot his bolt for that time and, in a 
spasm of perplexity, pronounced the benedic¬ 
tion. 

In a moment, McLeod was back among the 
Mizquets. The crowd around Elijah prevented 
him from getting to them immediately. He saw, 
in a moment, that there was excitement among 
them and shortly made his way to McLeod’s side. 
The rancher turned on the minister, and asked: 


WHEN ELIJAH FAILED 123 

“Was that an invitation to join the church 
that you made, when I went up front ?” 

“It would most certainly lead to joining the 
church. What other organization do you know 
of whose object is to root out sin and to work 
righteousness?” 

“Well, that is what I understood you to mean, 
and that is what these good people understood. 
But it seems that they are not ready to join the 
church at this time. Mr. and Mrs. Mizquet say 
that the financial burden of a church will be too 
heavy for the few who will join.” 

This blunt statement in public of what Mrs. 
Mizquet had intended only for the private ear 
of McLeod annoyed her. She stammered: 

“Brother Green, you are aware that if we form 
a church organization at this place, we will 
pledge ourselves to support the church and its 
institutions. We don’t feel able to do anything 
much along such lines. We have rather been in 
hopes that you would defer the organization of 
a church until next year. Meantime, we would 
leave our membership in Illinois. The Home 
Missionary Society can take care of this point for 
at least another year.” McLeod broke in: 

“What would Fairbrook’s share in your sup¬ 
port be, Parson?” 

“That would be fixed at the First Quarterly 
Conference. Possibly a hundred dollars.” 


124 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“And does that scare you, Mrs. Mizquet?” 

“I think that would be more than a class at this 
point would raise, this year.” 

McLeod’s glance fell upon Dolly. He spoke 
very gently: 

“And how do you feel about it, Miss Dolly ?” 

“Nothing, only that Mamma knows best.” 

“And is that your sentiment, Mr. Mizquet?” 

“Yes, I really think it will be best to put off 
the organization a year.” 

“And is that what all of you good people 
think?” asked the ranchman, taking in the rest 
of the family with his glance. They all bowed 
in assent. 

“Well, I won’t ask any of these folks that 
don’t know anything more about religion and 
churches than I do. I have been thinking very 
strongly of a church at Fairbrook ever since last 
Sunday afternoon. This dirty little hundred dol¬ 
lars—thunder! A steer would pay the most of 
it. I would give a dozen steers to see a church 
here in good running order. With these eight 
Mizquet folks to sorter toll us along on the right 
trail, I thought we had the identical layout for a 
dandy snap along religious lines. But the Miz- 
quets have laid down on the job, so I guess that 
ends it. Miss Dolly, will you please return me 
the ring which I gave you, and which is on the 


WHEN ELIJAH FAILED 125 

third finger of your left hand?” She raised a 
startled look to his face and exclaimed: 

“You can’t mean that, Robert!” 

“Yes, I mean that. I am not looking for a 
wife in a family with not enough pep to stand 
up for a little thing like organizing a church.” 
She took the ring from her finger and, with angry 
tears, handed it to him. He dropped it in his 
vest pocket and strode from the room. In a 
moment, his horse’s hoofs were heard galloping 
up the road. 

Elijah was so nonplussed by the way the 
affair had terminated, that he could only say: 

“Well, it is time to go home.” 

The next morning, Elijah rode out to the 
W. D. ranch and found McLeod. The big 
ranchman would not have much to say. Evi¬ 
dently, he was badly hurt. These words escaped 
him: 

“Miss Dolly settled my hash, Parson. With 
her loyal to the church, we could have made it, 
even if the rest of them had gone back on the 
proposition.” 

“It seems a pity that they did not know that 
you would do so much for the church before the 
matter came to a head as it did.” 

“Yes, I can see that it would have made a big 
difference.” 


126 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“Knowing that, I believe that you ought to 
start all over again.” 

“Now, Parson, how can you change the nature 
of such people*? The contemptible little pile of 
money involved is what scared them. If they 
start into it leaning on others, where will they 
be if for any reason others should fail them*?” 

“Maybe they would get a larger vision of their 
privileges and responsibilities and go on, if they 
were thrown on their own resources.” 

“Maybe so. But their actions last night made 
me doubt their profession. It has knocked my 
pins from under me, and I shall leave the whole 
thing alone.” 

Elijah stayed with McLeod all day, but accom¬ 
plished nothing. As he was leaving to go back to 
Fairbrook for the evening service, the rancher 
said: 

“Parson, I sure appreciate all that you have 
done for me. Here is a little package I want you 
not to open until Christmas morning. I shall 
always be glad to see you at the ranch.” Then 
very wistfully: “Maybe you will remember now 
and then to speak of me when you are pray¬ 
ing” 

On Christmas morning, Elijah opened the en¬ 
velope and found a hundred dollar greenback in 
it. But McLeod never again went to church. 


WHEN ELIJAH FAILED 127 

The meeting on that Thursday night was thinly 
attended and was discontinued on Friday eve¬ 
ning. The Mizquets took an aversion to Elijah 
and gave him much trouble. Luke Grossett, the 
oracle of Fairbrook, said: 

“Now it wouldn’t a hurt me so much fer folks 
to funk like the Mizquets done, but thet there 
Bob McLeod always was sech a queer feller. He 
acted jest like somebody had been a cheatin’ at 
kyards.” 

It was several years before a church was or¬ 
ganized at Fairbrook, and not a McLeod nor a 
Mizquet joined it. 

Elijah had had an experience something like 
this one with McLeod while he had been on the 
Mockville Circuit. 

He got very familiar with a young fellow' by 
the name of Loup. This young man would fre¬ 
quently follow the preacher to his afternoon and 
evening appointments. Riding horseback from 
place to place, they had many long intimate 
talks. Andy was well educated, had taught 
school, and had recently been elected justice of 
the peace in Mockville, and was considered one 
of the rising young men of the county. The 
more abstruse problems of theology were the 
topics that he preferred to talk on. He dodged 


128 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

practical Christianity, especially experimental re¬ 
ligion. One day, after a vain attempt to get an 
experimental note from Andy, Elijah bluntly 
asked: 

“Mr. Loup, why don’t you join the church?” 

“I dislike very much to tell you.” 

“You seem to be a believer in Christianity; 
your morals are blameless; you must know that 
you could be a power for righteousness if you 
were affiliated with the people of God; your posi¬ 
tion outside of the church is anomolous and more 
or less a stone of stumbling for weaker men than 
you are; there are many urgent reasons why you 
should throw in your lot with us.” 

“Singular to relate, I have used every one of 
those arguments to myself, but every reason for 
joining the church is overborne by just one rea¬ 
son for remaining out.” 

“What can that reason be?” 

“It is a stubborn disbelief in the reality of 
Christian experience.” 

“How did you ever arrive at such a state?” 

“First, by my own personal failure in the pur¬ 
suit of a vital Christian experience; and, secondly, 
by an unworthy display of pride in a professor 
of religion.” 

“You interest me very much; do tell me the 
whole story.” 


WHEN ELIJAH FAILED 


129 


.Thus solicited, Andrew Loup fell silent for 
some moments. Evidently he was carefully 
weighing his words. 

“I would like for you to know that I fully ap¬ 
preciate my own individual responsibility to God. 
I am not trying to evade that responsibility when 
I tell you of the share another has in my condi¬ 
tion. Still, I insist that that other one decided 
the matter, as it now stands, while the issue was 
still in doubt . 77 

“I guess you are thinking now of my uncom¬ 
promising attitude at all times on the subject of 
personal responsibility. 7 ’ 

“I feel that I was pretty well .grounded in that 
doctrine before I met you; so much so, that it 
seems ungenerous to bring any one else into the 
case. If I die unsaved, the Judge will doubtless 
make up His decision solely upon my own culpa¬ 
bility.” Here he fell silent again, until Elijah 
exclaimed: 

“Come, Andy; I’m listening.” 

“Well, to make a long story short, I am a very 
good theoretical Christian. The system appeals 
strongly to my reason and my order of intelli¬ 
gence. I love to hear Christian doctrine dis¬ 
cussed.” 

“I certainly believe you on that statement. 
Otherwise, you would not follow me up to hear 


130 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

the same subject discussed three times as you are 
doing to-day.” 

“Yes; I think that I could make a pretty good 
sermon on The Dual Nature of Jesus Christ’ 
myself T 5 

“I have no doubt that you could excel mine. 
But get on with your story.” 

“Now, while my intellectual assent to Chris¬ 
tianity was so hearty, my spiritual experience 
was utterly neutral. I wished very much to get 
a satisfying, personal, Holy Ghost realization of 
oneness with God. Mr. Green, are you ac¬ 
quainted with Betty March 4 ?” 

“I have been at her father’s house several 
times.” 

“What is your opinion of her^” 

“I heard her relate her experience at Brown’s 
Camp Ground, and I thought it was a powerful 
and evangelical testimony.” 

“Well, I was quite intimate with Betty for 
several months. She is a very attractive girl, as 
you know, but I trust that you will understand 
me when I say that I kept her company solely 
for the spiritual benefit that I might derive from 
association with her. Like yourself, I had abso¬ 
lute confidence in her religion. I asked for noth¬ 
ing better than an experience that would parallel 
hers. 

“About three years ago, Betty and I attended 


WHEN ELIJAH FAILED 


131 


an all-day meeting at Brown’s Camp Ground. A 
large crowd was present, and there was a big 
love-feast. It was the Sunday morning of the 
Quarterly Meeting, and people from the entire 
circuit were there, rejoicing in their acceptance 
with God. Betty got very happy. And I was 
as near the Kingdom as I had ever been before, 
as I watched the blessed expression on her face 
as she walked the aisles, shouting, praising God, 
clapping her hands, encouraging believers and ex¬ 
horting sinners. But I did not get the evidence 
of acceptance with God. 

“In the evening I drove her home. I remem¬ 
ber that I was collecting my thoughts to ask her 
some superlative question about the Christian 
life, when she said: 

“ ‘Andy, how did I look to-day, when I was 
shouting around the camp ground 4 ?” 

Elijah was shocked beyond expression. He 
was looking full at his companion, who was look¬ 
ing straight back at him across the space between 
their horses. After a moment of painful silence, 
Loup said: 

“I see that her question affects you just as it 
affected me. I hope that I may never again en¬ 
counter such a terrific anti-climax. I hope that 
I misjudged her, but all that I could think of 
was the hateful reflection that she was an arrant 
hypocrite. Since then, I have tried to look at it 


132 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

in the light of spiritual pride. But whatever it 
may have been, I would give a thousand dollars 
if she had not spoken the words.” 

“What was your reply to her?” 

“I could make no reply. After a moment of 
embarrassment, I stopped the horse, and pre¬ 
tended to fix something about the harness, while 
I changed the subject. I got her home, somehow, 
and have never seen her since. She lives on the 
other end of the circuit, and it is not necessary 
for us to meet.” 

“And you can’t get around that silly question 
of hers?” 

“No. To properly understand me, you must 
try to realize the confidence I had in her. When 
I was looking at her, I was thinking of the rap¬ 
ture of her soul—pure, spiritual, above the earth- 
clouds. I was devoutly wishing that my soul, 
like hers, might soar away, like hers, into the 
empyrean of pure ethereal joys, and bask, like 
hers, in supernal light. All of that time, she was 
wondering how she looked! I presume that a 
ballroom belle has the same thoughts. Oh, Mr. 
Green, it—it—it is just heart-sickening.” 


VII: TREMBLING FOR JESUS 


. . . A man may lose his sense of moral 
direction. He may not become a whit less 
respectable in the eyes of his neighbors than 
before , but he is lost , like a sheep in the wil¬ 
derness. The wolves of temptation may 
not have devoured him , or the winds of hard 
circumstance overcome him—but he is in 
peril through not knowing the way. 

Bishop McConnell. 


VII 


\ 


Trembling for Jesus 

The Epworth League in Greenford was trying 
out an Adventure in Evangelism. The Adven¬ 
ture consisted of a series of revival meetings in a 
schoolhouse five miles from town. The method 
was for a band wagon full of the Epworthians to 
go to the schoolhouse every night and hold a 
meeting. 

While Elijah had suggested this program, he 
did not undertake to control it. Of course, he 
was ready with advice when needed. He was a 
plain member of the local chapter and took his 
place in the ranks, performing the duties required 
of him. He was expecting a strong reflex influ¬ 
ence on the chapter. 

There were forty members who could do this 
work. It was agreed at the outset that the pas¬ 
tor, president, and secretary should attend every 
meeting. This left nine members to be chosen 
from the body of the chapter each night, and as 
the secretary chose new members every night, the 
round of the chapter was made once in four days. 

George Mulvaney was the most spiritual mem¬ 
ber in the chapter, but he was so excessively dif- 

135 


136 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

fident that it had been impossible to get him into 
that part of the work down to Friday night of 
the second week, on which day he came into the 
detail for the third time. 

As the Thursday night detail was returning 
home after a very encouraging meeting, Elijah 
and Brewer, the President, were sitting together 
in a corner of the wagon, quietly discussing the 
situation. Brewer said: 

“1 feel as though we have reached the crisis of 
the meetings. Much—very much depends upon 
our efforts to-morrow night. I would say that I 
am in favor of selecting only the best workers 
for to-morrow night. Miss Hanson says that 
George Mulvaney falls in the detail. It seems 
to me that we might excuse George to-morrow 
night.” 

“That is your affair, Brother Brewer, but I 
would say, in a general way, that it will be bad 
policy. This is the wrong time to tamper with 
established methods. If some preacher were 
carrying on this meeting, and if he understood 
the psychology of revivals, he would not ask a 
bishop himself to preach to-morrow night, so im¬ 
portant is the established order in critical periods 
of a meeting. But in a special way, it would 
seem to me particularly wise to have Mulvaney 
on the program for to-morrow night. Are you 


TREMBLING FOR JESUS 137 

aware of the great influence that George wields 
in that community ?” 

“I know that about two-thirds of the people 
attending the meetings are his tenants.” 

“Yes, and every tenant is under many obliga¬ 
tions to George. He put down one-half of the 
money for that schoolhouse, the best rural school 
building in the county. Last year, when typhoid 
swept the neighborhood, he hired Dr. Gabbert at 
fifteen dollars a day to stay right with the epi¬ 
demic. That ten days’ intensive work of Gab- 
bert’s undoubtedly saved many lives, gave the 
people a dozen pointers in sanitation, and inci¬ 
dentally gave a young physician exactly the 
opportunity he needed in starting a practice. 
.These, and many other acts of George Mul- 
vaney’s make him one of the powerful human 
agencies in this revival.” 

“Very well, Brother Green, I shall take your 
advice and let the detail stand as it is.” 

“See George to-morrow and suggest that he 
prepare something to say in the meeting.” 

“That’s a capital suggestion, and I believe that 
I will pass it back to you for all that it is 
worth.” 

“Thank you; I had already determined on 
taking my own medicine.” 

The next morning Brother Green happened in 


i 


138 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

at Mulvaney’s office. After a few common¬ 
places, he remarked casually: 

“Had a mighty good meeting last night, 
George, out at Mulvaney’s Schoolhouse.” 

“Yes, Brewer was in here a moment ago and 
told me about it. He tells me that I am on the 
detail to-night and seems especially anxious that 
I should speak. I have avoided speaking in pub¬ 
lic so far; it seems that more voluble folks than 
I am should do the talking.” 

“Now, Brother Mulvaney, allow me to remark 
that volubility is not the principal ingredient of 
talk. I am glad that Brother Brewer has spoken 
to you about it. To tell you the truth, George, 
I am building big hopes on your speech to-night.” 

“All right, ’Lijey, I shall do my best.” Then 
Mulvaney fell silent, and the wise pastor took 
his departure, feeling that it was a fine time to 
leave the man alone. 

That night, after the wagon, with the twelve 
Epworthians aboard, had started, the president 
laid off the work, appointed a leader, and as¬ 
signed each person on the detail his task on the 
program. The speeches were to occupy, nomi¬ 
nally, five minutes. Allowing for the usual num¬ 
ber of shorter speeches, it was believed that this 
part of the program would consume between 
thirty and thirty-five minutes. George was the 


TREMBLING FOR JESUS 139 

eleventh one on the list, the president coming 
last. He said, with a sort of choke: 

“I shall try to do whatever He would have 
me do.” 

The house was packed. Every Epworthian 
seemed alive to the situation. The speeches came 
in quick succession and rapidly worked the thor¬ 
oughly mellow congregation into a receptive 
state. Mulvaney’s time came. The pastor, presi¬ 
dent, and leader all glanced encouragingly toward 
him. He seemed ready to run, and only by a 
mighty effort did he arise. His jaw worked con¬ 
vulsively twice, and then, brokenly, in a solemn 
stillness, he said: 

“My friends, I would like to tell you how 
much Jesus has done for me, but somehow my 
mouth won’t go off. But if I can’t say anything 
for Jesus, I can at least stand here and tremble 
for him.” 

He was actually trembling, so his words were 
not at all theatrical. Their effect was electrical. 
A mighty tremor passed through the audience. 
Strong men sobbed; women cried aloud; Brewer 
afterwards said that the appearance of things re¬ 
sembled nothing more than a coming storm. 
Mulvaney seemed to have prepared a speech, of 
which, apparently, he could not remember a 
word. He stood quite still for a moment trem- 


140 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

bling in every fiber, while the excitement con¬ 
stantly increased. 

When he sat down, the Holy Ghost filled all 
the house as with a mighty, rushing wind. More 
than a score were eagerly asking: 

“What shall I do to be saved?’’ 

The president’s speech came next, but he tact¬ 
fully turned it into an inquiry meeting, and the 
Greenford Chapter had all it could do for the 
next two hours, passing from one to another, 
pointing them to Christ. At this work, George 
Mulvaney made a full hand. Before the meeting 
closed, he rejoiced many times that he had stood 
up and trembled for Jesus. 

Elijah said that among the many incidental, 
reflex effects of that Adventure in Evangelism 
was the unstopping of George Mulvaney’s mouth. 
He was never again at a loss what to say at a 
League meeting. 

WAITING AND WATCHING 

In another meeting Elijah had been kind to a 
little motherless girl of ten who constantly at¬ 
tended alone. One evening he asked her why her 
father did not attend. She burst into tears and 
said: 

“Brother Green, please pray for my father.” 

As that was all she could say, Elijah took the 


TREMBLING FOR JESUS 


141 


matter quite seriously and prayed frequently the 
next day for “the father of the little girl who 
is so distressed about him.” That night, when 
the child came and took her accustomed seat 
about the middle of the auditorium, a man ac¬ 
companied her. 

Elijah could sing a little, and that night he 
sang the solo, “Waiting and Watching.” He 
could see that the father was greatly affected, 
and intended to speak to him at the close of the 
service, but was hindered by the crowd that 
pressed up to the chancel when the benediction 
was pronounced. When he found himself at lib¬ 
erty, the man was gone and the child with him. 
He could only pray that some seed might have 
fallen in good ground. 

The next evening, the couple were in their 
places. Personal testimonies were always a part 
of the meetings, and a half hour was occupied 
on that evening with an experience meeting. The 
third one to arise was the father of this mother¬ 
less child. He said: 

“Most of you know me for a non-attendant at 
church services for the past two years. Since 
my wife died, I have had to follow my trade of 
shoemaking and keep house at the same time. 
But of course every one has time for divine 
service—if he only thinks so. My real reason 
for staying away was that I felt hard and bitter 


142 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

against God for taking away my wife. Little 
Minnie, here, has been attending these revival 
services all the time and has been after me every 
night to come with her. But I always packed 
her off alone and stayed in my shop, working 
and brooding over the loss of my wife and my 
little daughter Lucy. 

“All day yesterday, Minnie was begging me 
on every occasion to go to the meeting at night. 
And there was some influence besides Minnie at 
work, for I felt drawn this way. My thoughts 
had become very rebellious in the two years since 
my wife left me, and I had grown hard and 
wicked. But toward evening, yesterday, I prom¬ 
ised Minnie that I would come, and I was here 
last night. But my heart was steeled against 
divine influences. 

“Everything went in at one ear and out at the 
other, until the preacher sang, ‘Waiting and 
Watching,’ just after the experience and prayer 
meeting. It was the first time I ever heard it, 
and the first two verses passed by without touch¬ 
ing my hard heart. Then he sang: 

“ ‘There are little ones glancing about in my path, 

In want of a friend and a guide.’ 

“Ah! That struck me like a blow in the face. 
Here is my little Minnie, needing my daily Chris¬ 
tian walk; my hand to guide her away from the 


TREMBLING FOR JESUS 143 

traps and pitfalls of life; and I was moping away 
my time, complaining against God, who doeth all 
things well, for taking from me my wife, to be 
an angel in heaven, when all the time, I had this 
sweet child left me, to cheer and comfort me, and 
for me to guide aright. But the preacher sang 
further: 

“ ‘There are dear little eyes looking up into mine, 
Whose tears might be easily dried/ 

“I had so easily dried Minnie’s tears, yesterday, 
by merely promising to come to meeting. Why 
shouldn’t I go right on, comforting her and dry¬ 
ing her tears? I began to make promises to ease 
the heart stabs of that song, but the singer kept 
right on: 

“ ‘But Jesus may beckon the children away 
In the midst of their grief and their glee/ 

“That broke my heart. I cried, but my tears 
were not altogether bitter, as so many of my tears 
have lately been. They were penitent tears. I 
had sinned against my God so grievously. I 
prayed back here in my seat for forgiveness, but 
the distracting sights and sounds in the church 
prevented me from centering my thoughts, so I 
was not relieved. Then I went home, and there, 
in my own room, kneeling beside my bed, peace 


144 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

came. So I have been happy all day and am 
here to-night, with my own tears and my little 
Minnie’s tears dried. I am happy in the thought 
that there will be those I love at the beautiful 
gate, waiting and watching for me.” 

This man was one of the very few whom Elijah 
overlooked in his pastoral visits. But he had 
been only a short time in Frankton when this 
occurred. The unobtrusive, retiring ways of the 
shoemaker had been accentuated by his great 
loss, and, brooding over his widowed condition 
alone, had nearly cost him his birthright. Little 
Minnie’s despairing cry, “Pray for my father,” 
started the chain of Christian influence which 
enveloped and saved her father for God. It is 
obvious that Elijah’s prayers acted in the divine 
ether of the meeting, so as to draw Minnie’s 
father to the church. 

DISOBEYING HIS MOTHER IN THE LORD 

At Frankton, Elijah had another singular ex¬ 
perience with a child. 

Mrs. Walker, the Recording Steward, came to 
him and made the strange request that he would 
not talk to her boy on religious matters. He 
replied: 

“Of course I shall respect your parental rights 
in this thing, Sister Walker, but I am at a loss 


TREMBLING FOR JESUS 145 

to understand why you should make such a re¬ 
quest.” 

“Well, David is a very good boy and has 
strong religious inclinations. He now has his 
education on his hands, and if he gets an undue 
bias toward study on religious subjects, he will 
not make the progress in literary lines which it 
is important for him to make at this period of 
his life.” 

“In what grade is he now studying?” 

“He is working in the Sixth at school, but is 
preparing the Seventh at home.” 

“And how old is he?” 

“He is just past twelve.” 

“Then he must have doubled one year before 
this.” 

“He entered school in the Second Grade at the 
age of seven. You see, Brother Green, I am 
anxious that he should enter High School next 
September a year. Besides the two grades he will 
make this year, he is carrying piano and pastel 
work out of school hours.” 

“Well! If all of these studies are essential at 
his age, it would seem unwise to crowd religious 
training on him.” 

“Now, Brother Green, don’t get sarcastic. 
David will have plenty of time, after he makes 
the High School, to study on religion.” 

“Well, Sister, as I said before, I recognize your 


146 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

parental authority over David. I shall not talk 
to him on religious topics, only when he forces 
me to do so by asking me questions. We are 
often together. His conversation is constantly 
reverting to theological and religious themes, so 
you have set me a difficult task.” 

That very afternoon, young Walker called at 
the parsonage on his way from school and 
strolled at once into the library. It was in 
January of 1915, when the war was raging on 
so many fronts. He seemed perfectly informed 
on the war news, and, after talking it for a 
while, he remarked, quite casually: 

“Mr. Green, in your sermon last night, you 
spoke of the time you were born again. I wish 
that you would explain just what you mean by 
that.” 

Elijah turned to the third chapter of John 
and read it very carefully, commenting as he 
went. The boy seemed to be listening only casu¬ 
ally, but his mind received instruction with such 
ease that it was not necessary for him to pay 
the strict attention which some people must give, 
in order to understand a subject. At the close of 
the chapter, he remarked: 

“It is very clear, isn’t it?” 

“I am glad to hear you say so, David. A great 
many people make a difficulty of it.” 

“Yes, Nicodemus seemed to have trouble with 


TREMBLING FOR JESUS 


147 


it. But it is not hard for me to see that there 
may be a soul birth as well as a body birth. 
There are many different kinds of body birth, 
even. The birth of a mammal is different from 
that of a fowl or a reptile. Then see the dragon 
fly, the butterfly, the mosquito. A plant has a 
birth, too. We can see them born in the culture 
jars in the school windows. The soul birth is 
only a little more hard to understand, so, just as 
you say, we have to take God’s Word for it. Mr. 
Green, do you think that I am too young to be 
born again?” Now wasn’t that a tight corner he 
had crowded poor Elijah into? He could only 
answer: 

“Certainly not, David; I have frequently seen 
younger people than you converted.” 

“Well, then, it seems that I ought to attend 
to the matter and get it off my mind.” 

“It does look like that would be the part of 
wisdom, David. But do you think, in view of 
the large number of studies you are now pursu¬ 
ing, that it will be wise to bother yourself with 
religion?” 

“Why, that is precisely the way that Mamma 
talks! But it looks to me that if it were off my 
mind, and I were perfectly satisfied about it, I 
would then be able to go on with my other 
studies to better advantage.” 

“Well, now, to tell you the exact fact, David, 


148 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

your mother does not want you to be troubling 
yourself with these matters. You know that 
Paul says, ‘Children, obey your parents.’ ” 

“Yes, Mamma quoted that to me the other day. 
I found the passage with the Concordance, the 
way you taught me. Neither you nor Mamma 
quoted all of the passage. It reads, ‘Children, 
obey your parents in the Lord’ I believe that 
that Scripture means that we must obey our 
parents so long as it is not contrary to the will 
of God; but it is the will of God that I should 
be saved. I ought to obey God rather than man.” 

That was one of the times that Elijah had 
nothing to say, and he said it. David continued: 

“I guess you and Mamma aren’t trying to 
defeat me in this thing ?” 

“God bless you, child, a thousand times, no.” 

“All right.” Then he lowered his voice. “I 
shall ask God to convert me to-night, when I 
kneel for my evening prayer at nine o’clock. I 
wish you would be at prayer at the same time. 
God might refuse me, but he can’t refuse you. I 
believe you are not in the habit of being refused.” 

That choked Elijah all' up. He made the 
promise, and for some time before nine o’clock 
he was on his knees in the library. The Enfold¬ 
ing, Filling Presence was with him in great sweet¬ 
ness. He felt as sure that David Walker was 
passing into the Kingdom as he felt that he was 


TREMBLING FOR JESUS 149 

on his knees. He went into the library next 
morning, when the first school bell rang, and soon 
David came along. He dodged in and whis¬ 
pered : 

“It was just like we expected it would be. 
Thank you for helping me.” Then he was gone. 
,The naivete of it was like sweet music and fra¬ 
grant incense all day to Elijah. That afternoon, 
David came by on his way home and said: 

“Oh, Brother Green, I had good lessons to¬ 
day.” 

“Why, David, I understand that you always 
have good lessons.” He blushed and responded: 
“Others may say that, but I know that I am 
fresher some days than others. And to-day I was 
fresher than ever. I could study so easily. Say,” 
lowering his voice, “will you please go into the 
church with me for a while?” The minister won- 
deringly followed the child into the church. 
They sat on the back seat. 

“Brother Green, you must pray for me so that 
I shall go aright in what I am going to say. I 
am in a hurry to get home, so you won’t have 
much time.” They knelt and Elijah very feel¬ 
ingly asked the Holy Spirit to direct David’s 
words. Then the boy said: 

“Brother Green, I must join the church, next 
Sunday.” 

“David, will your mother approve?” 


150 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“We must convince her that it is the thing 
to do.” 

“Very well; you mention it to her to-night; I 
shall call on her and talk it over to-morrow.” 

But when Elijah called, Mrs. Walker immedi¬ 
ately broached the subject, by saying: 

“Oh, Brother Green, I know what you have 
come for. David told me that you would be here 
to talk about his joining the church next Sunday, 
but you will not have to argue the point. He 
swept away all of my objections. Oh, you can’t 
fancy how I feel so small and so magnified, both 
at once. I feel so little when I think of my fussy 
interference with the will of God, and so great, 
when I consider how He has honored me by giv¬ 
ing me such a son.” 

“Sister Walker, I want to tell you, to begin 
with, that I did not go contrary to your wishes 
in the matter. David pushed the question on me 
every time.” 

“Yes, he explained that to me. But it has 
come out all right. How singularly blind and 
stupid I was. But God has forgiven me. I see 
that he has first of all given me my child to train 
for Him. Hereafter, all ether training can 
afford to wait.” 

“And it will be all right for David to join the 
church next Sunday*?” 


TREMBLING FOR JESUS 


151 


“Indeed, yes. I am now only too anxious for 
him to be in the church. And next Sunday of 
all others, because it is Communion, and I shall 
commune with him. 55 















VIII: THE FUNERAL OF A FIDDLE 


A gospel for men , wicked , weary , heavily 
laden with their cares of mind , body> heart, 
memory —zzz^zz zyz'M divine instincts , however 
untended; men I have found that the appeal 
to life , Me appeal to the mightier impulses 
— conscience , character , eternity , re/rz- 

hution , /ewe, Christ—touched one as another . 

Bishop Quayle. 


VIII 


The Funeral of a Fiddle 

After the fiasco at Fairbrook, Elijah went to 
Otter Creek, about fifty miles from Fairbrook, 
and entirely out of its range. Here he put on 
a series of revival meetings, like many others in 
a new country, with no one to help him who had 
ever professed religion. 

His direct appeal arrested attention, and on 
Wednesday night the animals began uneasily to 
stir. This was again the fifth sermon, and the 
general theme was Sin. Two young men by the 
name of Baker would go out of doors, then return 
and noisily seat themselves on the front seats, 
chew tobacco, and spit vigorously under the 
teacher’s desk, which Elijah was using as a pul¬ 
pit. After they had returned the third time, the 
minister paused and, looking them squarely in the 
face, said: 

<£ I have always been afraid to reprove persons 
in my audience who misbehave themselves, be¬ 
cause I might make the mistake an old minister 
once made. In one of his audiences, a young 

man was misbehaving considerably, and the min- 

155 


156 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

ister turned to and gave him a good going-over, 
when the father of the boy arose and said: 

“ Tarson, that boy is an idiot; it doesn’t do 
no good to scold him. I’ll jest take him home.’ 

“Ever since I heard that story, I have been 
careful about reprimanding for misbehavior. I 
wouldn’t like to tear in and scold an idiot.” 

At this, the Bakers arose and again left the 
house very noisily, and on the outside they talked 
loudly and profanely until the service closed, 
when they returned. Elijah went up to Frank 
Baker and, laying his hand on his arm, said: 

“My friend, are you aware that you have made 
yourself liable to the grand jury?” 

“You take your hand off of me, or I’ll mash 
your mouth all over your face.” 

Just then two husky fellows, Jim Rowe and 
Joe Vincent, came up, one on each side of Elijah. 
Jim said: 

“Stand your ground, Parson; we will see that 
you have fair play. Now Frank, you draw in 
your horns. The decent people of this country 
won’t stand for your nonsense.” 

The father of the boys here interposed: 

“Nor I won’t stand for it neither. Frank, you 
and Bill have to behave yourselves.” 

The young fellows sullenly left the house. 
After about a half-hour’s social chat, the crowd 


THE FUNERAL OF A FIDDLE 157 

broke up. Elijah went to old man Baker and 
said: 

“Brother Baker, I want to go home with you. 
You have invited me several times, but I always 
had some other engagement ahead of you.” 

“Sure, Parson; always welcome. But I sup¬ 
posed you would be put out by my boys, so I 
didn’t ask you this evenin’. Jest git on your 
hoss an’ follow my sleigh.” 

It was bright moonlight, and the sleighing was 
good, so that Elijah had to spur a little to keep 
up. When they reached the gate to Baker’s pas¬ 
ture, the two boys got down to open it. After 
Elijah had ridden through, he dismounted. Baker 
whipped up and left them together, as home was 
not far off, and the boys could walk the rest of 
the way. The minister said: 

“Boys, I believe that this would be a good 
place to settle our differences.” Bill replied: 

“You mean to say you want to fight us both*?” 

“I don’t want to fight either one of you. I 
want to talk our difficulty over and come to an 
understanding to get along together.” 

“We don’t like to be called idiots.” 

“I didn’t call you idiots; try to remember what 
I said.” 

“Say, Parson, you knowed we wasn’t idiots.” 

“I couldn’t know it from the way you acted.” 


158 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“Did we act like idiots?” 

“You certainly didn’t act like sensible men. 
It seems to me that any one with common sense 
would not disturb a public meeting.” 

“What did our actions have to do with our 
sense?” 

“Well, you were laying yourselves liable to 
prosecution. The laws are against you, and it 
seems to me that no sensible man will go con¬ 
trary to law, in the presence of so many wit¬ 
nesses.” 

“Do you intend to prosecute us?” 

“Not if I can help it. That is what I stopped 
back here for. I like to get along with everybody 
that comes to my meetings. But I have my 
rights before the law, and if soft, easy measures 
fail, believe me, I shall not hesitate to use harsh 
ones.” 

“Well now, Parson, what do you want out of 
us to-night?” 

“I just want an assurance that you will not 
disturb my meetings any more.” 

“Oh, we can stay away from your old meet- 
ings.” 

“If it is impossible for you to behave your¬ 
selves at meeting, it will be a good thing for you 
to stay at home. Come now, you know that you 
can behave yourselves at meeting as well as any¬ 
body. I don’t want to do you any harm. Come 


THE FUNERAL OF A FIDDLE 159 

along; behave yourselves; get your share of good 
out of the meeting.” 

“Much good we are going to get out of it. 
You are breaking up all of the fun we have been 
having.” 

“What fun have I broken up*?” 

“There was going to be a dance at Tom Arm¬ 
strong’s house to-night, but it was called in on 
account of the meeting. And Tom and his wife 
and his sister-in-law are all beginning to talk 
serious. And Tom, the only fiddler in the coun¬ 
try, and his wife and her sister two of the best 
dancers.” 

“Now, Bill, if those folks can see the harm in 
the dance, it surely is no good. I understand 
that there is always whisky at the dances, here 
in this country.” 

“ ’Course we have to have a little sumpin to 
drink.” 

“And I understand that a dance frequently 
winds up with a fight.” 

“Oh, yes, somebody always gits a little gay, 
and he has to be took down.” 

“Now, boys, I want to ask you, are such things 
doing your country any good?” 

“Maybe not.” 

“Have you ever been present at a dance when 
there was trouble?” 

“Chris Wolfe was shot at one about a year 


160 


ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 


ago. Clem Wilson was stabbed at one last 
spring. 5 ’ 

“If such things happen at dances, it seems to 
me that I am doing a good thing in breaking 
them up . 55 Bill had been carrying on the conver¬ 
sation, but Frank now spoke: 

“Fur as I’m concerned, I can behave myself, 
and I am willing to promise.” 

“Oh, yes, I can promise too,” said Bill. 

“All right, boys, let’s shake hands on it.” 

“All the same, that idiot business sticks in my 
craw,” said Bill, lugubriously. 

“Well, since you fellows have come across like 
gentlemen, I want to apologize for saying that. 
I ought not to have said it, and I am sorry for 
it. If you will pardon me for it, I shall be more 
careful in the future.” Here both of those big 
fellows broke down and blubbered. Elijah was 
walking and leading his horse. He held out his 
hand: 

“Is it a go, boys? Do you forgive me?” 

They paused in the moonlight, and each seized 
a hand. Elijah continued: 

“I believe that it will be a good thing for me 
to apologize in public to-morrow night, for the 
rot about the idiot; what do you say?” Frank 
replied: 

“Not till after we apologize for our meanness.” 

“Good enough! We have all been in the 


THE FUNERAL OF A FIDDLE 161 

wrong; you make your apology, and then I will 
make mine.” 

“ ’Nough said.” 

They had now arrived at the stable. Mr. 
Baker had put up his horses, and he and the rest 
of the family had gone into the house. He was 
surprised when the three entered the house on the 
friendliest of terms. The basis of their “make- 
it-up” was not mentioned. A pleasant evening 
was spent. After prayers, Mr. Baker remarked: 

“This is better than for you young folks to 
be off to a dance to-night, with me a worryin’ if 
you would all get home sound and well.” 

The next evening, when the time came for 
Elijah to preach, he said: 

“Frank and William Baker wish to make a 
statement, and I shall now give them the oppor¬ 
tunity.” 

Frank first spoke: 

“I am very sorry for the way I acted here at 
the meetin’ last night.” It was now Bill’s turn: 

“So am I sorry. The Parson says that he is 
going to apologize for what he said about idiots. 
But the more I think about it, the less I want him 
to apologize. He really didn’t call us idiots, but 
we were idiots all the same. So I don’t want him 
to beg pardon at all. Fact is, me an’ Frank got 
jest what was a cornin’ to us. Parson Green is 
a mighty straight, nice man. An’ I put you all 


162 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

wise to this: Don’t try no shenanigan with him, 
for me an’ Frank an’ Jim Rowe an’ Joe Vincent 
won’t stand for it.” 

These speeches produced a most favorable im¬ 
pression. But Elijah made his apology. Then 
he preached with great power and liberty on Re¬ 
pentance. At the close of the sermon, he asked 
for penitents to come to the altar. Frank and 
Bill Baker knelt, and many others with them. 
The minister gave a general exhortation for all 
of them to confess their sins and ask for pardon. 

“I can’t get around to all of you before some 
of you will be converted. After you feel that 
God has pardoned you, it will be all right for 
you to rise and sit on the altar, if you so desire.” 

Instantly there was a murmur of prayer going 
up. Elijah started in at one end of the bench to 
direct the minds of the seekers. He heard a com¬ 
motion at the other end, and looking up saw 
Frank Baker sitting on the bench and leaning over 
Bill. Then he went on talking to the seeker with 
whom he was kneeling. Soon this man was 
happy. Just then Bill Baker was powerfully 
saved. Elijah went to their end of the bench, 
and sat down between them. He put an arm 
over the shoulders of each. To Frank he whis¬ 
pered : 

“Frank, do you love Jesus ?” 


THE FUNERAL OF A FIDDLE 163 

“You bet I do,” was the naive reply. Then 
catching himself, he continued: “I guess you 
don’t bet, Parson Green—I mean Brother Green. 
I said ‘you bet’ before I thought. I jest meant 
to put it as strong as I know how, that I love 
Jesus.” 

“That’s all right, Frank; I understood you; 
and consider that you expressed yourself good 
and strong.” Then turning to Bill, he asked: 

“Bill, old man, how are you feeling?” 

“Jest bully!” Bill exploded. “Oh, that isn’t 
what I wanted to say, Parson—Brother Green, I 
mean; I wanted to say, I feel so nice and light.” 

“Well, Bill, you and Frank and I must tie in 
and help these other folks out of the place they 
are in. Cinch up, take a snug turn around the 
pommel with your lariat, and then throw the rope 
to the fellow that needs it.” 

In a moment, each of the three was kneeling 
by a seeker. Many were the professions. There 
is no human instrumentality quite so compelling 
as the words of a newborn soul. 

Elijah went home that night with Tom Arm¬ 
strong, the fiddler. Tom lived some distance 
from the schoolhouse, up in the foothills of the 
Black Hills—Mountains would have been a more 
appropriate word. 

Tom’s wife and her sister, Ella Ellis, had pro- 


164 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

fessed religion at the altar that night. Elijah 
was anxious to bring Tom into the fold also, be¬ 
cause he felt that one in a family still holding to 
the carousing habits of the old days would sooner 
or later break up the spiritual life of the others. 
But Elijah was not prepared for the thing which 
happened that night in the Armstrong home. 

When they were all safe and snug inside the 
house, they grew quiet, after a few moments of 
conversation. Then Tom exclaimed: 

“Let’s sing something.” 

Elijah was carrying “Songs of Conquest” in 
his saddlebags to the schoolhouse. Armstrong 
had bought three copies at the first, and it seemed 
that they had been practicing the pieces in the 
book to the violin accompaniment, and they knew 
several of them well. “Beautiful Isle of Some¬ 
where” was the first piece; this was followed by 
the “Glory Song” and “Saved by Grace.” These 
three selections about the blessed future state 
caused Elijah to remark: 

“You folks like to sing about heaven.” 

“Fact is, Parson, my father is a Universalist, 
and I drift to what he would like. He is a good 
man, and I would like to believe that his doctrine 
about there being no hell is correct. But he gets 
his ideas of heaven from the Bible, and the same 
Book teaches the doctrine of hell.” 


THE FUNERAL OF A FIDDLE 165 

“Did you learn to play the fiddle from your 
father?’’ 

“No, indeed. He dislikes the fiddle and the 
dance.” 

“How did you get into the way of playing the 
fiddle?” 

“Well, you see, I had a sort of a knack for it. 
There’s something in me that naturally speaks 
back to a violin.” 

“I see; and you and your fiddle have been great 
friends?” 

“Yes. There are only a few things I love 
more. I don’t know if there is anything, except 
my wife, that I love more.” 

“Oh, yes, of course, you love your soul 
more.” 

“Yes, yes. Of course.” 

“What did you think of the proposition to go 
to the altar to-night?” 

“I wanted to go very much when I saw Mollie 
and Ella going; but my training was strong on 
me, and it influenced me against going.” 

“Well, there were two influences at work in 
your soul—one to go to the altar, the other 
against going. Which do you conscientiously be¬ 
lieve made for the right?” 

“To tell the truth, I ought to have gone to the 
altar.” 


166 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“In spite of the Universalist faith that you 
are all right as you are 4 ?” 

“As I said before, hell is in the Bible, as well 

as heaven.” 

“Yes; and sin and righteousness are in the 
Bible.” 

“I believe I told you once that my father is a 
mighty good man.” 

“And I heartily believe you. Now, why do 
you suppose that he is a Universalist?” 

“I have often thought it is on account of us 
children.” Here, the very thing that Elijah had 
found true of several Universalists was about to 
turn up with respect to Armstrong, Sr. 

“How would you children have anything to 
do with the matter?” 

“Well, of course my father loves his children; 
all of them are already damned, if sin and its 
punishment are to be taken the way the Bible 
puts it; his partiality for us has made him grasp 
at any straw for relief in his mind that we are 
lost. I may be mistaken, but that is the way I 
have figured it.” 

“How many children has your father?” 

“Two other sons and myself. I suppose that 
you may say that I am the best one of the bunch. 
My two brothers drink and gamble, curse and 
swear. I have no such inclinations, but I fiddle 


THE FUNERAL OF A FIDDLE 167 

for all of the dances in the country. And, four 
times out of five, it is at the dance that arrange¬ 
ments are made to gamble. Four fights out of 
five take place at the dance. Our country is new, 
and temptations to go astray don’t catch our 
young girls like I hear they are caught at the 
dances in older countries.” 

“How do you explain that?” 

“I don’t hardly know if I can explain it. But 
you see, the men are in a big majority here, and 
every girl has plenty of chances to marry. So 
most of them marry before much temptation 
comes their way.” 

“Well, now, Tom, what are you going to do 
about getting religion?” 

“Why, I think it will all wind up by my pro¬ 
fessing. I am awful glad to have you here to¬ 
night; it has helped me a whole lot. Now you 
read the Bible and pray for me.” 

After prayers, Tom drew the chords of Old 
Hundred, saying: 

“Let’s sing the doxology.” 

After the doxology, Tom very solemnly put his 
violin in its case. Elijah thought to himself how 
like a coffin it looked. Tom then stepped to the 
long box stove, swung back the top, which opened 
on a pivot, and, laying the instrument in its case, 
which looked so like a coffin, on the great bed of 


168 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

hot coals, quickly shut the top. Elijah sprang up 
with an exclamation of disapproval and tried to 
get to the stove, but Armstrong held him back. 

“Just a minute, Parson; what do you want 
to do 4 ?” 

“I want to keep that splendid instrument from 
burning.” But even then, the roar of the flames 
within the stove showed that he was too late to 
save the fiddle. Tom’s face was in a spasm. 
The minister said: 

“I was thinking, only a moment ago, of how 
you might dedicate your violin to the service of 
God. I knew a cornetist once who did great good 
with his instrument.” 

“Yes, I had thoughts like that myself. But 
I was afraid of the temptation. That cornetist 
wasn’t Tom Armstrong. I’m starting in to get 
religion, and I don’t intend to flirt with the old 
things which I am leaving. I was reading to-day 
about plucking out your right eye. If my violin 
was not my right eye, it was most. Now it’s out 
of the way—one trail less to bumfuzzle me in 
getting onto the Jesus trail. I’m going to the 
altar to-morrow night. Now let’s go to bed.” 

They were up very early, and about daylight 
Elijah Green rode off for a little tour of forty 
miles. In that trip, Elijah saw the father and 
two brothers of Tom Armstrong, and told them 


THE FUNERAL OF A FIDDLE 169 

of Tom’s intention. He got their promises to be 
at that night’s meeting. Each of them lived on 
his own ranch, some distance from the others, 
but the minister saw them all within the forty 
mile circuit and was on time at the meeting. 

This was the seventh night of the series, and 
the New Birth was the general theme. All four 
of the Armstrong men were present. When the 
call came for seekers to kneel at the altar, Tom 
came forward and knelt. Immediately his father 
was by his side, with his arm around him and, 
with his mouth close to his ear, said: 

“Oh, Tommy, my boy, call mightily on God 
for salvation.” 

“Salvation from what, father?” 

“From anything you think you are in dan¬ 
ger of.” 

“I feel in danger of the wrath to come; but 
you have always contended that there is no 
hell.” 

“Oh, my son, maybe there is a hell. Pray for 
deliverance from it, anyhow.” 

“All right, father; you pray with me.” 

Then the father heart explored the divine 
promises for the son; he climbed all the heights 
of the Kingdom; he pleaded the Atonement with 
melting fervor; and all the time that son was 
saying over and over: 


170 


ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 


“God, save me from hell.” 

At last the father quit praying and listened 
for a moment to what Tom was saying: 

“God, save me from hell. God, save me from 
hell.” 

“O God, hear that prayer,” exclaimed the 
father. At these words, the younger man found 
peace and dropped his head on his father’s shoul¬ 
der, crying: 

“He saves me from hell; He saves me from 
hell. O mighty Saviour; O mighty Saviour.” 


IX: UP FROM THE SLAVERY OF 

LUST 


It is marvelous what a transformation 
Godliness makes in a human being. It is 
mysterious how that which is spiritual can so 
impress and renovate that which is material , 
for it is certain that Godliness does reach , 
modify , and improve every faculty and power 
of the physical organism. The affections re¬ 
coil from every debasing attraction; shake 
off the slime of worldly alliances; and turn 
to more worthy objects. 

James Henry Potts. 


IX 


Up from the Slavery of Lust 

Augustine, before his conversion, resembled 
many whom we see every day. He moved in 
nice, decent society; followed the genteel occu¬ 
pation of teaching; possessed a keen intellect; 
was omnivorously studious; was of a naturally 
sweet disposition, binding men to himself as 
though with hooks of steel. 

This brilliant rhetorician, the son of a devout 
widow, was a Manichean, which, as far as I 
can make out, was Fourth and Fifth Century 
language for Christian Scientist. Manicheism 
was a cult for making one feel easy on account 
of sin, at the same time that he was displaying 
unctuous piety. Long before his conversion, 
Augustine was sure of the intrinsic rottenness of 
the doctrines and life of his sect. Why did he 
continue to walk with the Manicheans*? Because 
he was as rotten as his sect, and because Chris¬ 
tianity condemned him, while Manicheism con¬ 
demned him not. The answer reaches to the 
depths of the diseased state of man in his wan¬ 
derings from God. It is an indelicate subject, 

but so important that it ought to be put into 

173 


174 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

print for modern Augustines. Thou Christ of 
pure thoughts, but unsparing words, guide me 
aright in what I here set down: 

In brief, until he was thirty-three years old, 
Augustine was a common, out-and-out libertine. 
While yet in his teens, he formed an illicit con¬ 
nection with a woman who was the mother of his 
son, Adeodatus. His sin so obsessed him that he 
left his home in North Africa and slipped away 
from his mother to go to Italy, where he might 
give free rein to his lust. But his mother fol¬ 
lowed him, and together they lived in Milan, 
where he became intimate with Ambrose, and 
where Augustine daily sank deeper in spiritual 
despair, and “in the lust of the eye, the lust of 
the flesh, and the pride of life.” 

No man ever wanted salvation more than did 
Augustine, but lust held the greatest intellect of 
that age an unwilling captive, while he raved and 
tore at the fetters which bound him. The ex¬ 
cruciating pangs of his soul make the most har¬ 
rowing literature outside the penitential Psalms. 

And then the climax came. He suddenly rose 
one day and left the company with whom he was 
talking because he didn’t w T ant to cry in their 
presence and, going into the garden, threw him¬ 
self under a fig tree, where he rocked and shook 
in agony. A child in a neighboring house began 
to sing: 


UP FROM THE SLAVERY OF LUST 175 

“Take up and read; take up and read.’* 

Wonderingly he returned to the house and, 
lifting a volume of Apostolic epistles from the 
table, opened it with a prayer and read: 

“Not in rioting and drunkenness; not in cham¬ 
bering and wantonness; not in strife and envy¬ 
ing; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
make not provisions for the flesh, to fulfil the 
lusts thereof.” Right there “all the gloom of 
doubt vanished away.” 

The Christ who had lived a continent life on 
earth as many years as Augustine had lived wick¬ 
edly now entered and dominated the new man’s 
life. Whereas, before, he had said of his mis¬ 
tresses, “How can I live without them?” he now 
found it entirely easy to live without them. His 
walk from that day was an example of rectitude 
and continence. 

It is a far cry from a Fifth Century theologian 
to a Nineteenth Century Ohio River pilot, but 
that is the transition I must make. 

One night in the Eighties of the last century, 
the officers and passengers were discussing re¬ 
ligion around a table in the cabin of an Ohio 
River steamboat. The pilot off duty, a debonair, 
soft-spoken man, was leading the conversation. 
Elijah Green and the express messenger were in¬ 
terested observers and listeners only, until the 


176 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

conversation changed to marriage. The mes¬ 
senger and the pilot lived in the port at the end 
of the voyage, and Elijah was serving a church 
ten miles from the city. 

Now this pilot seemed to make no secret of 
his dissolute life. All through the religious dis¬ 
cussion, he freely used the sophistry of Robert G. 
Ingersoll, who was prominently before the public 
in his lectures against revealed religion. Elijah 
was not surprised that, when the subject turned 
to marriage, which might easily have been treated 
merely from the social standpoint, the pilot was 
plainly impatient at the idea of its divine insti¬ 
tution. The messenger, a genial, cultured little 
Irishman, here joined in the conversation: 

“I have always said that if there is any insti¬ 
tution on earth which may be considered of 
divine origin, it must be the family, which is 
established by marriage. 5 ’ 

“Tut, tut, Meginniss. Rousseau says that all 
such is a factitious sentiment, engendered by 
society, and cried up by the women w T ith great 
care and address, in order to establish their em¬ 
pire and secure command to that sex which ought 
to obey . 55 

“I suppose, of course, that there is no possi¬ 
bility that Rousseau may have been mistaken, 5 * 
replied Meginniss, dryly. 

“Well, yes, he may have been mistaken; and 


UP FROM THE SLAVERY OF LUST 177 

it is among the possibilities that you are mis¬ 
taken.” 

“If I have read the truth about Rousseau, he 
was a devil of a fellow—and a bachelor. And 
it may be entirely fitting, Graham, that you, a 
bachelor and a devil of a fellow, should quote 
him.” 

“I have never heard that a single life is against 
the law.” 

“Tell us, Graham, honestly, why are you not 
married*?” 

“I presume it is all right for those who can 
afford it to marry, but I could never marry on 
my salary. I was just going to ask you, Megin- 
ness, for a loan of ten dollars until next payday. 
How could I get along as a married man on my 
pay, when, as a bachelor, I have to borrow 
money *?”^ 

Meginness took out his pocket book, and took 
from it a ten dollar bill. He held it toward 
Graham, and asked: 

“What will you be doing with this money, 
Graham*?” The pilot airily replied: 

“Oh, we’ll be in port for six hours, and I’ll 
want to have a pleasant time.” 

‘‘Possibly with some of the soiled doves on 
Division Street*?” 

“Why, Meginness, old boy, you are a mind 
reader.” He had reached for the money and had 


178 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

one end of the bill in his hand, but the express 
messenger was still holding firmly to the other 
end. There was scorn in the Irishman’s next 
words: 

“It comes with a splendid grace from you, a 
bachelor, to be borrowing money from me, a mar¬ 
ried man, when your intention is to use the money 
in breaking the Seventh Commandment.” 

“Don’t get melodramatic, Meginness. Come, 
now, let go of the money. You’ll get it back, 
with eight per cent a month, on payday.” But 
Meginness held to the money. He smiled pleas¬ 
antly at the rest of the company and continued: 

“I would like for the rest of you to notice what 
a singular turn this matter has taken. My good 
friend Graham doesn’t believe that the family is 
a sacred institution, while I do so believe. He 
backs his belief by remaining single and spending 
his money on harlots; I have backed my belief 
by marrying, and at present I have three children, 
all straight of limb and clear of eye, and yet, my 
good friend Graham draws $150 a month, while 
I have the magnificent income of $60 a month. 
As he said that he could not marry because his 
salary is too small, how does it happen that he 
cannot pull through to the next payday, in his 
state of single-blessedness, with a salary two-and- 
a-half times the size of mine*? I’d be ashamed, 


UP FROM THE SLAVERY OF LUST 179 

Graham, if I were you, to seek a loan of a mar¬ 
ried man. 

“And then, I wish that you would consider, 
for a moment, how I shall feel, if I let you have 
this money. I am the priest of my family, and 
my wife is the priestess. We are solemnly con¬ 
secrated to the task of rearing three little lambs 
whom God has given us, so* that they may honor 
Him who gave them to us, in their lives, which 
are His. I ask every one at this table if it would 
not be a stultification of myself to allow this 
money to be put to any such use, when I earned 
it with the noble purpose of supporting my chil¬ 
dren with it.” Elijah banged his fist harder than 
was necessary on the table and, leaning over to¬ 
ward Meginness, almost shouted: 

“You can’t lend the money and retain your 
self-respect.” Graham let go of his end of the 
bill and, lighting a cigar, sneered: 

“Evidently, you fellows have been practicing 
on your little piece of melodrama. You got it 
off real well.” 

“No, Graham, we didn’t rehearse our piece at 
all. It was one of those recitals which naturally 
recites itself. I don’t wish you any better luck 
than for you to get very anxious about this mat¬ 
ter; to see where you stand; to repent of all your 
wicked doings; to be saved from your sins; and 


180 


ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 


for you to marry a good woman and raise a 
godly family.” 

“Amen!” exclaimed Elijah. 

All of this affected the pilot visibly. He arose 
as nonchalantly as possible. 

“Well, I must be getting my sleep due me on 
this watch.” 

When he was out of earshot, Meginness asked: 

“Was I too hard on him, boys?” 

“Not a little bit,” snorted the captain. 
“Graham has been spreading on his reputation 
for deviltry too thick. I’m not religious, to 
hurt, but there are bounds of decency—even on 
a steamboat.” / — - 

Of course Elijah was glad,to further cultivate 
the Irishman’s acquaintance. They went out on 
the guards and talked a long time. 

As the minister and the express messenger were 
walking up Water Street, next morning, the pilot 
was some ten feet in front. Suddenly he turned 
and said: 

“I want you two gentlemen to pray for me.” 
The minister promptly replied: 

“Where shall we go to pray? Have you any 
special temptation from which you want to be 
delivered?” 

“I want to be delivered from unholy lust. I 
heartily wish to change my life. Come in here.” 



UP FROM THE SLAVERY OF LUST 181 

They were passing the pilot’s hotel on Water 
Street and turned into it. He led them to his 
room and, when they were seated, continued: 

“My mind is in a turmoil. I have a different 
view of things since our talk last night. I have 
been a wicked, selfish man. I have allowed my 
lust free rein, and it has steadily grown more 
difficult to curb. My profession has always af¬ 
forded me enough money to gratify my unholy 
desires, and, having no one dependent on me, I 
have come to a most awful state. I never 
realized how bad it was until last night. That 
was the first real religious talk I have heard 
for ten years. Pete is getting but $60 a month, 
supporting himself, his wife, and three children 
on it; I am spending $150 a month on worse 
than nothing. His scorn made me feel smaller 
than I ever felt before. He was so pleasant 
about it that I could not get angry, but the cut¬ 
ting sarcasm stung me almost to madness as I 
lay on my bed, trying to go to sleep. I am in a 
terrible state of mind and want you to pray for 
me. I have been trying to pray, but I was not 
raised religiously, and I don’t seem to get at it in 
the right way.” He was going down on his 
knees, and the others knelt with him. 

The minister prayed first. He took the pilot’s 
case to their Heavenly Father and asked for the 


182 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

cleansing blood for this man. Elijah did his 
best, but he was not in sympathy with the case. 
Gross, fleshly sins had never had any power over 
him. Then the suddenness of it, when his 
thoughts were off on the business of this voyage 
down the river, had caught him in a sort of 
spiritual nap. So it seemed to him that his 
prayers were not availing much, and he closed 
rather lamely. 

When Green closed, Meginness opened up. 
His warm Milesian nature was all afire for this 
man for whom he was praying. His words were 
very pointed, and no one, especially the Lord, 
could misunderstand them. Conviction laid hold 
of the wicked man with tenfold more power than 
before, so that he groveled on the floor. In a 
wave of ardor, Meginness cried: 

“Holy Christ, for the sake of thy own pure 
life, knock down the devil of lust in this poor 
wretch, and drag it forth, and cast it away for¬ 
ever and forever more.” 

“Amen!” shouted the pilot. Then he arose 
from the floor and, catching the Irishman in his 
arms, began to pound him on the back with the 
palm of his hand. 

“He’s done it, Pete; He’s done it, Pete. I’m 
as good a man this minute as you are. I’m 
clean. Oh, I’m clean. Oh, Christ saves me; 
Christ saves me.” 


UP FROM THE SLAVERY OF LUST 183 

More than two years afterwards Elijah met 
Meginness and asked: 

“How is our friend, the pilot ?” 

“Oh, didn’t you hear? He was married about 
a month ago. His wife spent the honeymoon on 
the boat. She is one dear little woman. Not at 
all handsome, but very handy, and a good Chris¬ 
tian. My wife got them together. She was the 
first woman since his conversion that he had 
talked to, longer than five minutes. When he 
discovered that he was in love with her, he came 
to me about it. 

“ ‘Pete, here is my punishment. I have no 
right to a good, pure woman. The sins of my 
former life have set me apart from the pure joys 
of matrimony.’ 

“He broke down and cried. I never felt so 
sorry for anybody, since the day he asked us to 
pray for him. But I replied to him: 

“ ‘Now, Graham, aren’t you a saved man?’ 

“ ‘Yes, thank God.’ 

“ ‘Well, don’t you believe that you will be 
with the angels and the blood-washed Church in 
the world to come?’ 

“ ‘Yes, truly I believe that.’ 

“ ‘Well, this woman you love here on earth 
surely is no purer than the angels in heaven. It 
seems to me that you can ask her to be your mate 


184 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

in this life, if you expect to associate with angels 
in the next life/ 

“ ‘But doubtless she thinks that I was always 
a good man. And it would be a shame to deceive 
such a pure creature. 5 

“ ‘Do not deceive her. Tell her the truth, and 
let her judge whether she can take you. Tell her 
that the blood covers the past, but that she ought 
to know it!’ 55 

“And how did he manage it 4 ?’ 5 asked Elijah. 

“Well, you see, they did their courting in our 
parlor, because his wife was a nurse and boarded 
with us, when she was not employed. He pro¬ 
posed to her in regular form, but added: 

“ ‘Now, Miss Davis, I want you to understand 
that I have not always been a good man. I was 
an especially bad sinner against the command¬ 
ment which you will find marked in this Bible, 
that I want you to have as a gift from me. Wait 
until I am gone, and then hunt up the twentieth 
chapter of Exodus and read the marked verse. 
I am not so much as worthy to kiss the ground 
where your feet have trodden. I have repented 
sincerely and expected to live a single life, until 
you came into it. I wish that you may answer 
me favorably, but I dare not hope for it. Fare¬ 
well for the present. I shall return for my an¬ 
swer on two weeks from to-night. 5 

“Well, Mary brought that Bible, with the 


UP FROM THE SLAVERY OF LUST 185 

Seventh Commandment marked in red ink, to 
Mrs. Meginness. They cried and prayed over it 
a long time, and finally Mary said: 

“ ‘Well, I love him, and he loves me. He may 
have been not so pure as some other men, but he 
is honest. I believe that my happiness will be 
safe in his keeping, so I shall accept him when 
he comes the next time.’ 

“So that was the upshot of it. That’s my boat 
whistling, and I am four blocks away. I’ll have 
to run; good-by and God bless you.” 



X: THOU ART THE MAN 


It is possible for you to abstain from the 
fleshly lusts which have been subjugating 
your soul. Every command carries a promise 
at its heart; and this loving entreaty for a 
better , purer life , hides a Divine undertak¬ 
ing that you shall yet be more than con - 
queror , putting your foot on flesh and self , 
and reigning where now you groan in slavery . 
Take heart! it is possible even for you to 
abstain from fleshly lusts , because God is 
able to keep . 


Rev. F. B. Meyer. 


X 


Thou Art the Man 

The Rev. Andrew J. Thickstun came out of 
the stable with his horse saddled, into the snow 
with all the more relish on his third round of the 
Scotland Circuit, because of the solemn duty-urge 
which he felt that Sunday morning. He was 
gently bred and born; had received training clear 
through the Indiana University; had practiced 
law for ten years at Bloomfield; but had suc¬ 
cumbed, at last, to the insistent call to the service 
for souls and was now fairly launched upon that 
career. This morning found him especially fit, 
for he had just spent a half-hour in the stable, 
praying for help, and emerged in a state of 
spiritual levitation which boded well for what¬ 
ever his hand might find to do that day. It was 
in 1848, when much wilderness was still un¬ 
broken in the Hoosier State. Scotland was a 
twelve-class circuit, so that the regular monthly 
appointments might come on Sunday. His ap¬ 
pointment, that morning, was only five miles 
away, where he had not met much of a crowd. 
He speculated, whimsically, as to the probable 

number who would meet him, and fell to won- 

189 


190 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

dering what his subject would be. He had been 
a local preacher for all those years he had prac¬ 
ticed law and had almost never used a pre¬ 
arranged sermon. His university training, om¬ 
nivorous reading, perfect command of the Bible, 
large human sympathy and acute legal intellect 
generally guided him with precision to the sub¬ 
ject and the text, which were nearly always sug¬ 
gested by local circumstances. 

On one occasion, some sacrilegious vandal had 
cut off a portion of the lower corner of the pulpit 
Bible, during the big meeting. It was casually 
mentioned by the preacher in the next morning’s 
sermon. “Jack” Thickstun was the local preacher 
selected for the afternoon sermon. He had col¬ 
lected the scraps from the mutilated Book, and 
had preserved the three pieces which contained 
the only coherent thought in a full sentence. 
On each of these three scraps were the words, 
“God forbid.” From this sentiment, Mr. Thick¬ 
stun wove a trenchant discourse. It was a call 
that God would forbid such vandalism in the 
future, and especially that He would forbid that 
this particular vandal should be cut off as he had 
cut off a part of God’s Word. 

One of those horny-handed Hoosiers had said: 

“Jack Thickstun’s memory is like a tar-bucket 
—whatever touches it sticks to it.” Whereat an¬ 
other had remarked: 


THOU ART THE MAN 


191 


“And Jack himself is like a cat; wherever he 
may fall, and however he may fall, he always 
lights on his feet.” All of this, however, is aside 
from the events of that particular First Sunday 
in December, 1848. 

As the minister was passing the last house on 
the road to his appointment, a man came out of 
it and joined him. The snow was deep, and the 
minister’s horse broke a path for the foot pas¬ 
senger. Mr. Thickstun remarked: 

“I presume that there will be a very small at¬ 
tendance to-day.” 

“Undoubtedly,” was the terse reply. 

“And this appointment has never been remark¬ 
able for its large attendance.” 

“That’s very true, sir. I saw you as soon as 
you rode into the clearing and determined then 
to go to preaching. Nobody else, belonging to 
this neighborhood, has seen you this morning. So 
I guess they will all say that you will scarcely 
venture out in such a storm, and accordingly they 
will all remain at home.” 

“What is your name, Brother?” 

“My name is Silas Jones, but I do not deserve 
the handle 'Brother’ to my name.” 

“Why not?” 

“I don’t belong to the church.” 

“That is not the only qualification, witK me, 
for the term 'Brother.’ I regard all human be- 


192 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

ings as children of the All-Father. In that sense, 
I can call you ‘Brother,’ and I think that you 
can return the compliment.” 

“Very good, Brother Thickstun; it doesn’t seem 
that it would be very hard to call you ‘Brother’, 
also, from the standpoint of church membership.” 

“I sincerely trust that such may shortly be the 
case. Why is it that you are not a member of 
the church?” 

“Because I do not feel worthy.” 

“In what way do you consider yourself un¬ 
worthy 4 ? Are you morally unfit, or do you lack 
an evangelical experience?” 

“I am morally unfit. Of course, I lack the 
evangelical experience, also. But I am not one 
of these sinners who goes around pointing his 
finger at no-account professors of religion. The 
triflingest one in the church is a credit to me; for 
however trifling he may be, he is trying, which 
I can’t say for myself.” 

“I certainly thank you, in behalf of the church, 
for that sentiment. I so often hear men say: ‘I 
am as good as some of your church members.’ ” 

“The fellow who will say that is always in a 
corner, and he blurts out anything which he 
thinks will justify himself. Now, I’m just natu¬ 
rally ashamed of my unfitness. I can’t improve 
my condition by picking flaws in church mem¬ 
bers, so I quietly confess my shortcomings.” 


THOU ART THE MAN 193 

“You excite my curiosity to know what par¬ 
ticular shortcomings you have.” 

Thickstun was turned halfway around, lean¬ 
ing back, with his hand on the horse’s back, be¬ 
hind the saddle. He was looking straight into 
Jones’s face, and the pointedness of his remark 
was blunted by the geniality beaming from his 
sympathetic countenance. Thus he had disarmed 
many an opposing witness in the former litigious 
days. Silence followed for a few moments, dur¬ 
ing which the fellow plodded along through the 
snow, evidently in deep thought. At last he 
blurted out: 

“To tell you the plain truth, Parson, I am sup¬ 
porting a concubine. I have a good wife and 
four children, but this woman has wound herself 
around my affections, until I am ashamed to look 
straightforward people in the face.” 

“I should think you would be ashamed.” 

They had now reached the schoolhouse, and 
were soon busy starting a fire in the immense fire¬ 
place. When they had it going properly, they 
sat down and waited for the congregation, but 
no one else came. At last, the minister arose be¬ 
hind the teacher’s desk and said: 

“I don’t believe that any one else will be here 
to-day, so I shall go ahead. We will sing, ‘Come, 
Thou Fount.’ ” 

.Then followed prayer; reading of the twelfth 


194 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

chapter of Second Samuel; another hymn; then 
the sermon. The text was the sentence in the 
seventh verse of the twelfth chapter of Second 
Samuel, which reads: 

“Thou art the man.” 

The minister opened by saying that God had 
providentially limited the audience to one man, 
so that the preacher might speak plainly and not 
cause scandal. He then took up Silas Jones’s 
sin, and held, that although it was not exactly 
like David’s, it was still a most heinous crime 
against his lawful wife and children. The money 
he was giving to the concubine legally and prop¬ 
erly belonged to the lawful wife and her chil¬ 
dren. That no children had been born of the 
illicit connection was providential, and probably 
an express provision of the Almighty, for al¬ 
though He could not coerce the wicked pair, He 
could cause the sterility of the woman, so that 
no bastard should take from the lawful children 
their support. The wrong was played up by the 
preacher with telling force, so that the awfulness 
of the crime appeared in its blackest hue. Jones 
writhed and twisted under the blistering denun¬ 
ciation. But the preacher was so kindly and 
genial, withal, that the “audience” could not get 
angry with him. His audience was both culprit 
and jury—quite different from a common case at 
law. Xhe conclusion was a warm exhortation to 


THOU ART THE MAN 195 

shake off the coils of the she-serpent that had 
bound him. 

At the close of the sermon, Silas Jones was sit¬ 
ting with flaming cheeks and stertorous breath. 

.The preacher exclaimed: “Brother Jones, lead 
our prayers.” 

But Jones could say nothing but: “God be 
merciful to me, a sinner.” 

The minister took up the prayer. He asked for 
a resolution from the poor, bedeviled fellow— 
asked God to put it into his heart to say right 
there and then that he would turn from the siren 
who had bewitched him. After a time he ceased 
praying, and before he said amen asked Jones to 
make this resolution on his knees. Jones did so. 
Mr. Thickstun said “Amen,” and then they arose 
to their feet. Jones was bathed in tears and fell 
on Thickstun’s neck and sobbed like a child. 
After some moments, he spoke: 

“How am I to get rid of this woman?” 

“Where does she live?” 

“About a half-mile from here, on my place.” 

“Does your wife understand the situation?” 

“I suspect that she does.” 

“What is the woman’s ostensible means of 
livelihood?” 

“She washes and sews for my wife.” 

“How will it do for your wife, you, and me to 
talk to her about it?” 


196 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“We might ask my wife.” 

They went back to Jones’s house, and taking 
Mrs. Jones in a room apart from the family, the 
minister told her of her husband’s return to God. 
She embraced Silas chastely, and Thickstun con¬ 
tinued : 

“Sister Jones, your husband has been sinning 
grievously against you and his children. He 
wishes to remove the cause of his sin from his 
presence. I propose that the three of us go to 
this woman, tell her what has happened to Silas, 
and persuade her to remove from this neighbor¬ 
hood.” 

“Oh, sir, that would be such an indelicate thing 
for me to do.” 

“I realize that, but I feel that the wronged 
wife in this case will be so much abler to influ¬ 
ence her than Jones or I. If you can control your 
temper when you tell her to leave, I feel that all 
will go well.” 

“The grace of God will be sufficient for me.” 

So across the fields, to the harlot’s house, these 
three went on their strange errand. The woman 
wonderingly invited them into her little cabin. 
Mrs. Jones opened the subject: 

“We have come, Molly, to tell you that Silas 
professed religion to-day, at the schoolhouse.” 
Thickstun was watching the woman to see if any¬ 
thing like scorn or incredulity would show. But 


THOU ART THE MAN 


197 

he saw, instead, a lively interest, mingled with 
what seemed to him like penitence. She replied: 

“l am real glad to hear it. I, myself, have 
been praying to-day, but I do not seem to get any¬ 
where. But I promised the Lord, not an hour 
ago, to move away from here, where I have 
sinned more than you would believe, Hetty. In 
some other place, I can live a better life than I 
have been living here. I have done you a great 
wrong, Hetty, and I ask your pardon. If you 
will forgive me, maybe God will forgive me. He 
forgave another such as I have been. I shall 
move, to-morrow, to Sullagent. If Mr. Thick- 
stun can believe in me, he will help me to find 
work.” 

This direct solution of their difficulty was as 
providential, Mr. Thickstun said, as the fact that 
no one but Silas went to meeting at the school- 
house. Silas Jones was restored to the confidence 
of his wife; Mollie moved to Sullagent and lived 
a blameless life for years, dying at an advanced 
age, respected by all. 

A STICKER 

Soon after the above events, the big meeting 
came off in Scotland. One evening, a young man, 
very much intoxicated, made his way to the front, 
and gave his hand to Mr. Thickstun, in token of 


198 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

his desire to join the church. The minister gave 
him a seat on the front pew, and took his name 
in all good faith. 

The young fellow had been incited to the act 
by some mischievous folks in the rear of the 
house. His mother, a devout widow, was greatly 
scandalized. She and the minister got him home 
and to bed. Then the minister, promising to call 
early in the morning, went home. The next 
morning, the mother bitterly reproached her son 
for having disturbed the’meeting the night before. 
He retorted: 

“Mother, in what way did I disturb the meet¬ 
ing 

“By going up to the front and joining the 
church while you were drunk .’ 5 

“Did I join the church while I was drunk?” 

“Yes, and it mortified me nearly to death,” 
replied the weeping mother. The son arose from 
the table and went around to his mother’s place. 
He took her head in his arms and, smoothing 
back the hair from her forehead, reverently 
kissed it, saying slowly and solemnly: 

“I don’t remember a thing about it, mother, 
dear; but as I joined while I was drunk, a good 
thing will be to stick to it while I am sober. I 
drop the drink right here;” 

Just then Mr. Thickstun knocked at the door. 
John opened it, and said: 


THOU ART THE MAN 


199 


“Good morning, sir. My mother has been tell¬ 
ing me that I joined the church last night while 
I was drunk, and I said that I shall stick to it 
while I am sober, which will be a long time, for 
I have dropped liquor forever and forever.” 

The minister was standing, holding his hand; 
Mrs. Hogan had crept up to his left side, and his 
arm was around her. He continued: 

“Of course, this depends on whether my action 
was valid. Do you consider me a member of the 
church?” 

“I put your name down as a probationer. You 
are on six months’ trial.” 

“Good! I shall make good and enter in full 
connection at the end of the probation. Now, 
Brother Thickstun, I want you to pray for me, 
that I may hold out faithful.” After prayer, the 
minister told him that he had ascertained that 
some roystering mischief-makers had egged him 
on to the deed. He responded: 

“Of course, the devil put it into their fool 
heads, but that was one time that the old rascal 
overreached himself. Fact is, I was thinking of 
joining the church yesterday, before I went to 
drinking. I thought maybe the drink would 
drown the feeling. But God overruled the liquor 
for the good of my soul. But I haven’t got re¬ 
ligion, Brother Thickstun; what about that?” 

“I have no doubt that you will have religion 


200 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

very shortly. Your mother knows how to direct 
you to the Lamb of God. Meantime, if you 
desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be 
saved from your sins, that is all we require of 
you as a probationer.” 

At the experience meeting that night, John 
Hogan said: 

“They tell me that I joined the church last 
night when I was drunk. I guess that some smart 
Alecks persuaded me to do it. Maybe you are 
here to-night; if so, I wish to say that you never 
did a better thing in your lives, although you 
intended it for a desecration of God’s house. I 
intend to stick to the thing I did last night, as 
long as God gives me breath. I am not satisfied 
in my mind about the condition of my soul, but 
I intend to go to the mourner’s bench when the 
call shall be made. It will be a good thing if 
the fellows who put me up to that mischief will 
come up here and kneel with me.” 

John Hogan was converted that night. But 
those who were responsible for his act were never 
definitely located. Hogan and his mother moved 
away soon afterwards, and Mr. Thickstun got out 
of touch with them, but he always felt sure that 
John had the stamina to stand firm in the resolu¬ 
tion he had formed when he learned that he had 
joined the church while drunk. 


XI: “HERE I AM, MOTHER” 


The salvation of a human soul , no mat¬ 
ter how poor and unworthy that soul may 
he , is the greatest event that ever transpires 
in this old world of ours . So far as we 
have information in the Scriptures , this is 
the only event that moves heaven with joy . 
. . . We know from the words of Jesus 
that when one single , lost , needy , suffering , 
sin-cursed , habit-bound man or woman turns 
to Christ , heaven is moved with joy , 
celestial choirs seize their harps and sing a 
new song before the throne. 

Polemus H. Swift. 


XI 


“Here I Am, Mother ” 

In 1885 I was in one of the Ohio River 
counties of western Kentucky, and for some 
weeks stopped at a hotel where a young civil 
engineer had headquarters. Harry Gendren was 
one of those mellow, open natures who have 
popularity for a birthright, and was soon a favor¬ 
ite in the town and hotel. 

Harry liked to come to my room to sing. His 
voice was a deep bass; my roommate, Manis, 
sang a part which I have never been musician 
enough to name; Harry’s roommate, Jervis, sang 
a rich tenor; I tried to carry the air. 

We sang “Suwanee River,” “Old Kentucky 
Home,” and such pieces occasionally, but the old 
hymn tunes were best adapted to our style of 
quartet, and I am obliged to say that we made 
some good music on “Old Hundred,” “Sessions,” 
“Coronation,” and like pieces. 

On one occasion we sang, “Where Is My Boy 
'To-night'?” and at its conclusion Harry said: 

“If you care to hear the story, I will tell you 
where I first heard that song.” 

“Tell it, by all means,” chorused the rest of us. 

203 


204 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“I must begin by saying that until recently I 
was a pretty reckless chap. My father has always 
been a railroad prospector and surveyor, and I 
have been with him in camp ever since I was a 
mere kid. He is a good man, the leader of a 
choir in Evettsburg, where my mother frequently 
sings solos. I never hope to hear anything this 
side of the Glory Gates that will satisfy me as 
well as my mother’s voice in the First Cumber¬ 
land Church at Evettsburg. 

“Father was not careful enough about my com¬ 
panions in camp, and soon I had drifted a long 
way from the right. But I learned his business, 
and when I was about eighteen years of age, he 
put me to work on one of his jobs. The pay was 
not large, but it was nearly clear money, and I 
was too young to understand the proper disposal 
of so much. 

“I fell into the habit of spreeing when I went 
to Evettsburg, or when father was not in camp. 
I managed to conceal the most of my bad conduct 
from him, while mother never suspected my wild 
ways, although her pastor and half of the con¬ 
gregation were well acquainted with my short¬ 
comings. 

“Well, when I was about twenty, we reached 
a point in a job where we had been two weeks 
in the rain and mud. We got to the end of a 
section one Thursday noon. Father said that we 


205 


“HERE I AM, MOTHER” 

would have to lay off until the next Monday 
morning, because his plans for the next section 
were not matured. I determined then and there 
to put in the best part of the next three days in 
Evettsburg, on a great old jamboree. 

“I walked back to the terminus, and the two 
o’clock freight bumped and banged me forty 
miles to Evettsburg. Here I disappeared in a 
saloon down town, and was soon oblivious to 
surrounding events. The saloon keeper was care¬ 
ful that my whereabouts should be kept quiet, 
and bundled me into his own living rooms when 
I became unable to take care of myself. Father 
stayed at his job, preparing the next week’s 
work, until Saturday afternoon, when he went 
to Evettsburg, to be present with his choir, at 
seven in the evening. His train was delayed, so 
he went directly from the station to the church. 
By a strange destiny, it seemed, mother was 
selected to sing "Where Is My Boy To-night?’ for 
the evening service. 

“On the way home, father asked for me, and 
mother replied that she had not seen me. They 
both became very uneasy; father with an inkling 

of the truth; mother with all sorts of nameless 

\ 

dreads. As I did not turn up that night, father 
started a private policeman on a search for me 
next morning before breakfast. He unearthed 
me, got me to a hotel, and feed a servant to sober 


206 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

me up. The policeman then went to report, but 
as my father was not at home, the whole miser¬ 
able truth came out to my mother. He said to 
her, as he was leaving: 

“ ‘Mrs. Gendren, I would advise you not to 
go to Harry to-day. He will be all right to¬ 
morrow morning, and you can see him before he 
starts back to camp. You would only be need¬ 
lessly distressed at what you would see to-day, 
and you can do him no good now. If possible, I 
shall have him at home to-night after supper/ 

“Mother promised that she would not try to 
see me until I was sober, and went to the morn¬ 
ing service. Father came to me early in the after¬ 
noon, but I was sleeping heavily, and he thought 
it best not to disturb me. When I awoke, about 
five o’clock in the afternoon, I was duly sober, 
but had a raging headache. When I learned that 
it was Sunday, I knew that my spree was at an 
end, so I called for a cup of strong coffee. While 
drinking it, I heard from the policeman that 
mother knew everything. 

“I was terribly cut up about it, and my 
mother’s sorrow-laden face arose before me with 
great distinctness as I sat on the edge of that 
hotel bed. What with that face and my con¬ 
science, you can easily believe that the next few 
hours were simply awful. Then the church bell 
rang, and at the sound I aroused myself and said: 


207 


“HERE I AM, MOTHER” 

“ ‘Mason, I’m going to church.’ 

“ ‘Where at, Harry?’ 

“ ‘At the First Cumberland.’ 

“ ‘You are in pretty rough shape for church.’ 

“ ‘Yes, but I haven’t time to go home and put 
on more suitable clothes. I shall sit under the 
gallery, behind a column, and will not be noticed. 
iYou must go with me to steer me past the rum 
shops, for it is very important that I keep 
straight, as I have to go to work again, to¬ 
morrow.’ Mason smiled, but answered that he 
would go with me. 

“I was wearing my corduroy surveying togs 
and a wool shirt. The servant brushed me up, 
But I must have looked pretty rough when Mason 
and I slipped quietly into a side entrance, and 
took seats in a secluded corner, near the pulpit 
and choir. I was greatly agitated by entirely 
new sensations, and felt that a critical point in 
my career was at hand. 

“There were very few in the room when I 
entered, but in twenty minutes the great audi¬ 
torium was packed, for Dr. Darby was then in 
the height of his popularity, and drew im¬ 
mensely. 

“After the opening prayer, my mother arose to 
sing her solo. This had been my principal reason 
for attending, but I had no idea of what she was 
going to sing. She had sung it a time or two, 


208 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

and it was now by request of several that she 
was to sing it again. If possible, she would have 
avoided it, after the morning’s developments, but 
she had been announced in all the papers, and 
nothing else had been rehearsed, so she must, per¬ 
force, sing what lacerated her soul at every word. 
As I have already told you, it was the first time 
I had ever heard it. 

“At the first line, ‘Where is my wandering 
boy to-night 4 ?’ the audience was wonderfully 
affected. Mother did not dream that I was pres¬ 
ent, but supposed that I was yet in the hotel. All 
her gentle, patient, loving nature stood revealed 
in the painful moan of those first words. Oh, 
how I hated myself for making it possible that 
she should sing those words from the heart. I 
dropped my head in my hands, and rocked like 
a tree shaken by the wind. 

“Every word sank deeper and deeper into my 
soul. I began to pray. I asked God to forgive 
me for bruising that tender, loving mother’s 
heart. I called myself an ingrate, a matricide, 
for my incoherent brain got the impression from 
her tones that she was dying. The refrain, 
peculiarly composed, as you know, gives the 
impression of a wail, and when she reached it 
the second time, I thought that I should shriek 
aloud. Then I remembered that I had sinned, 
not only against my mother, but against my God. 


“here I am, mother” 209 

I asked his pardon in a frenzy, and received it 
just as she reached the last stanza: 

“ ‘Go for my wandering boy to-night; 

Go search for him where you will; 

But bring him to me with all his blight, 

I’ll tell him I love him still.’ 

“.Then came the refrain: 

“ ‘O where is my boy to-night; 

O where is my boy to-night?’ 

“When she sang that second 'where’ with all 
the emphasis that her genius, her longing, her 
mother heart could give it, the agony of her soul 
seemed so great, that it irresistibly drew me to 
my feet, and I walked up the aisle toward her, 
with my arms outstretched. Further words died 
on her lips. The organist ceased playing, and 
in wondering surprise turned to look at my 
mother. For the briefest moment silence reigned; 
then I sobbed like any child: 

“ 'Here I am, mother.’ 

“A carefully studied melodrama could not 
have been better acted. Mother came hastily 
down the choir steps and folded me in her arms. 
Dr. Darby seized one hand, and father took the 
other. The organist gave the chords of 'Old 
Flundred,’ and almost as one voice the congre¬ 
gation burst into the doxology, 'Praise God, from 


210 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

whom all blessings flow,’ and I think that they 
must have sung it a dozen times while they were 
shaking hands with me. 

“All that was more than two years ago. I 
date a different life from that night.” 

“But you never heard the song again under 
quite such dramatic circumstances, Harry 4 ?” 

“I am not so sure about that. I heard my own 
words to my mother repeated under vastly dif¬ 
ferent circumstances, though perhaps you will say 
that they were as remarkable as what I have just 
related. 

“Last summer I was making a 'horseback sur¬ 
vey' in southeastern Kentucky. A local preacher 
by the name of Logan was guiding me, and I was 
to stay at his house one night. 

“Several days previous he had come upon a 
party of gamblers in the woods. His son, 
Thomas, was one of the number, but he had im¬ 
partially reported all of them to the Grand Jury; 
they had heard of it, and had been in hiding ever 
since. With Spartan-like determination, he had 
resolved that his son should suffer with the rest, 
but his wife was deeply grieved at the circum¬ 
stance, and felt indignant that a father should 
immolate a son in such a way. 

“I knew nothing of these facts when Mr. Logan 
and I reached his house. I could see that all 


“here I AM, mother” 211 

relations were not thoroughly cordial, but could 
not surmise the disturbing cause. 

“After supper, we sat in the soft June moon¬ 
light, and Mr. Logan asked me to sing. Mrs. 
Logan was sitting farthest out in the yard, near 
the 'office,’ as the boys’ building in some South¬ 
ern front yards is called. 

“After several other pieces, I thought of 
‘Where Is My Boy To-night 4 ?’ My mind re¬ 
verted to that blessed Sunday night in Evetts- 
burg. My mother’s longing seemed to fill my own 
soul, so that the singing was particularly expres¬ 
sive. We were in a ‘cove,’ where rocky precipices 
hung near, and my words seemed to climb the 
cliffs and enter all their gloomy crevices and cav¬ 
erns with the wild, despairing query of the weird 
refrain. I don’t think that I was ‘stuck on my 
own voice,’ but I could not help knowing that I 
was singing well, and I felt a fine exhilaration 
in the surroundings. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Logan were facing me, and 
did not see what I saw, when I started on the 
last stanza. A young man walked from the 
shadow of the fir tree to the office. He lifted 
his finger in warning to me, so I proceeded with 
the singing as though nothing had happened, but 
I watched him narrowly, though I could not be¬ 
lieve that he meant harm while acting so openly. 


212 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

He stood still in the shadow of the office until 
I finished. 

“There was silence for a moment, then Mrs. 
Logan rose in a bewildered way, tossed her arms 
wildly, and moaned, not loud, but with search¬ 
ing, penetrating force: 

“ 'Oh, where is my boy to-night ¥ The figure 
in the shadow cried aloud the words: 

“ 'Here I am, mother/ 

“She turned as Logan and I sprang to our feet. 

“ 'Tommy, Tommy/ she murmured, as the 
strong young fellow caught her in a filial em¬ 
brace. Logan said, as severely as possible: 

“ 'Young man, are you aware that you are 
wanted by the Grand Jury 4 ?’ ” 

" 'Yes, father, but the song that I have just 
heard and mother’s heartbroken wail have de¬ 
termined me to stand my trial and pay the 
penalty like a man. I was skulking near the 
house in order to get provisions to keep me until 
after court would adjourn. Now, I shall stay 
here to-night, and to-morrow I shall go to town 
and plead guilty. Then I shall never gamble 
again, please God/ 

" 'Amen!’ said the father. The son added: 

" 'Mother, you will never again have to ask, 
“Where is my boy to-night V’ as miserably as you 
asked it to-night!’ ” 


XII: SOME OF ELIJAH’S 
AFTERMATHS 


XII 


Some of Elijah's Aftermaths 

I have already related how John Hoagland 
was converted ten years after a conversation 
with Elijah which was never effaced from John’s 
memory, and which led directly to his salvation. 
Elijah thinks that that was the most remarkable 
of his aftermaths. But he had a regular system 
of follow-up work with all who came under his 
influence. Numerous are the instances of good 
work for souls that he did at a distance and after* 
lapses of time. I shall relate only two such cases. 

Among his friends at Elrick were Mrs. Jane 
Short and her son Oliver. Mrs. Short was un¬ 
happily mated with a drunken libertine who mis¬ 
treated her and Oliver. His infidelities to his 
wife were common fame, but she clung to him a 
long time after she was convinced that he was 
untrue. But his treatment of Oliver finally com¬ 
pelled her to seek the protection of the law. She 
went to the minister about it, and he advised her 
to separate from Short for the Scriptural reason. 
She disliked the reflection this would cast on 
Oliver’s future, but finally came to the decision 

after an exceptionally cruel beating that Short 

215 


216 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

gave the boy. He had often beaten her without 
causing a separation. She was shortly granted a 
decree, and decided to move from South Dakota 
to Minnesota. After all was ready, she and 
Oliver spent the last night in Elrick at the par¬ 
sonage, where Mrs. Short was on exceptional 
terms with Mrs. Green. At family prayers that 
night, Mr. and Mrs. Green talked for a long time 
about the mother and son joining the church 
before they changed homes. Elijah said: 

“Mrs. Short, you can scarcely estimate the 
advantage a church letter will be to you in Min¬ 
nesota.” 

“But I am all ready to leave to-morrow.” 

“I will go out, gather in a few neighbors, and 
we will have a little meeting here. I can open 
the doors of the church, and you can both join. 
Then I can give both of you letters to the pastor 
of the church in the town where you are going, 
and he will complete your probation on his 
charge and receive you into full connection.” 

“All right, I believe that I will do it. What 
do you say, Oliver*?” 

“I don’t want to.” 

“Why, Oliver, you wanted to join the church 
with me last year. I am sorry that I didn’t join 
then.” 

“Mother, I have such bitter feelings toward fa¬ 
ther that it will be hypocritical for me to join the 


some of Elijah's aftermaths 217 

church now. Let us wait until I have a chance 
to pray over the matter, and get back to where 
I was last year.” 

“Very well, we had better wait, I guess.” The 
minister interposed: 

“We can have the meeting as I proposed to¬ 
night, and you can join, Mrs. Short, even though 
Oliver prefers to wait.” 

“No; Oliver wouldn’t go in last year without 
me; I won’t go in now without him.” 

There is where, perforce, the matter rested. 
Elijah secured the promise from both that they 
would not let the matter drop. But he under¬ 
stood the thousand and one hindrances that 
would stand in their way after removal. So he 
wrote a full account of their case to the Meth¬ 
odist minister in their new home. He asked it as 
a personal favor that the brother minister would 
hunt the pair up, and get them on salvable 
ground, and into the church. At the same time 
he wrote the Shorts frequently and kept their 
duty constantly before them. Fortunately the 
minister in their new home took a deep interest 
in the case, and he diligently worked the ground 
in the soil of their hearts which Green had 
prepared. And his labor bore fruit. One day 
Oliver said: 

“Mother, Mr. Harris keeps after a fellow just 
like Mr. Green used to, at Elrick.” 


218 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“I was thinking the same thing. Have you 
forgotten our promise to Mr. Green ?” 

“No; but I believe that I would have forgotten 
it, if it were not for Mr. Harris so everlastingly 
keeping after us.” 

“How do you feel toward your father by 
now?” 

“I don’t hate him any more.” 

“Then, what’s the matter with us joining the 
church next Sunday?” 

“Nothing is the matter with it.” 

“All right; that’s what we’ll do.” 

The latter part of the next week, Elijah re¬ 
ceived three letters: one from the minister, one 
from Mrs. Short, one from Oliver. They all told 
the same happy story. The last paragraph of 
the minister’s letter read: 

“I have become deeply interested in this case, 
because you seemed to care so much about it. I 
wanted success nearly entirely on your account. 
I read the parable of the Good Shepherd and the 
sheep. You certainly loved your sheep, and you 
are certainly a good shepherd.” 

On one of Elijah’s works, there was a strong 
opposition to evangelistic meetings. He found, 
indeed, that this opposition was almost organ¬ 
ized. Anyhow, he was obliged to forego a re¬ 
vival series of meetings, on account of this bitter 


some of Elijah’s aftermaths 219 

feeling against it. But he put in the year in the 
pulpit by giving the people the most trenchant 
preaching he knew. In his pastoral visitation, he 
urged a revival right down to the farewell visits. 
He had fifty people in the little county seat on 
his prayer list. The man who followed him saw 
the necessity for an upheaval and took up the 
work just where Elijah had left off. By the 
middle of Lent, a committee asked the new pas¬ 
tor to send for an evangelist. One of these said: 

“Brother Pinchot, I frequently said last year 
that I would never hear Brother Green preach 
again; but I always went back. I have often said 
the same thing of you. There is something in 
Christianity deeper and more vital than I enjoy, 
and I am not going to try to do with what I have 
any longer.” 

The evangelist was secured, and a few days 
after Easter, Elijah Green received the following 
letter from Pinchot: 

“Hosmer, Neb., April 30 , 1915 . 
“Dear Brother Green: 

“I received your letters asking about conditions here, 
but have delayed answering because I felt like I wanted 
something to report before I would write. 

“I have been moved to write you a number of times, 
but did not follow the impulse as I ought to have done. 
It has always seemed to me a cold-blooded thing for a 
minister to follow where another has sweat blood, as it 


220 


ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 


were, and never so much as write and say: ‘Brother, I 
am finding your bloody footprints here.’ 

“Well, I want to tell you that your time in tiding 
this work along was by no means thrown away. It is 
no small thing that one who follows you finds every¬ 
where a thoroughgoing respect for you, and not any¬ 
where a bad taste in any one’s mouth. 

“I am very sure that the first splendid outcome of my 
time here is, in no small degree, due to your faithfulness, 
and the wholesome conditions you left for me to work 
from. 

“Thirty-six were added to our membership on Easter 
Sunday. Your latest revision of the roll left twenty- 
two, to which we add the thirty-six, making fifty-eight 
in all, and more to follow right away soon. I can see 
a large work coming on, and yours shall always be a 
worthy share in it. 

“Very cordially yours, 

“Pierre Pinchot.” 

In Elijah’s reply to this letter, among other 
things, he wrote: 

“I am deeply grateful for the victory at Hosmer. I 
would have been intensely chagrined at any other kind 
of a report. God bless you and all of the Hosmer people. 

“Lovingly, 


“Elijah Green.” 


XIII: CONCLUSION 










XIII 


Conclusion 

I suppose that I owe it to the reader not to 
close until I have said something about Elijah 
Green’s reception of the foregoing pages of this 
book. I have tried not to lionize him, but he was 
not pleased with some of the passages where he 
felt that I had been more flattering than he de¬ 
served. Very gravely, he remarked to me: 

“You see, Ed, I am just a plain plug of a 
country parson. I am not posing for the hero of 
a book. These things which you have told about 
me, with slight variations, might have been 
written about a dozen or twenty other ministers 
of my acquaintance.” 

“I presume so, Elijah, but you must realize 
that you are the one minister whom I have known 
intimately enough to write up. I think that the 
Preface shows that any minister will have one or 
more experiences with which to match the ones 
in this book.” 

“Maybe that’s so. But I feel that my brethren 
need a warning on some of the things in my min¬ 
isterial career. Most of all, I do not consider the 

223 


224 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

little private fortune which I possess an advan¬ 
tage in my life work. I sometimes feel that it 
has been a disadvantage to me.” I must have 
stared incredulously at my old intimate as I 
replied: 

“Do you mean to say that that thousand dol¬ 
lars a year, independent of your ministerial 
salary, has injured you in any way 

“I have so considered it several times in my 
life. More than once, it has leaked out into my 
parish that my private means would support me, 
and those who would otherwise have contributed 
liberally quietly lay down in the traces. They 
could not know, seemingly, that they were miss¬ 
ing a blessing by withholding their contributions 
from the budget. I have always strictly tithed 
the income from my capital at the beginning of 
the year; then, when my Conference year is up, 
I tithe my ministerial salary. I always had some 
pet project or other to build up, and these 
schemes have often suffered by a slump in my 
salary, on which I had not counted. Jesus had 
such cases as mine especially in view, when he 
commanded his disciples not to take anything in 
their purses. When he said that the laborer is 
worthy of his hire, he undoubtedly meant that 
the Gospel ought to support its servants.” 

“I shall not dispute your word, but it sounds 
far-fetched.” 


CONCLUSION 


225 


“Nevertheless, it is a very real thing. I have 
been obliged to move entirely out of an Annual 
Conference, not to say away from a charge, sev¬ 
eral times, merely because folks leaned on me. 
My means have crippled the financial efficiency 
of a charge in exactly the same way that State 
aid to the church injures it. We see this in the 
State-aided ecclesiastical systems of Spain, Rus¬ 
sia, Germany, England. I have in my mind a 
little concrete instance of the working of such a 
system. In my younger days, I knew of a little 
Episcopal church in southern Indiana which was 
endowed by a wealthy lady. She contributed 
$1,000 a year to the support of the minister. 
The parish had only to keep up insurance, fuel, 
light, janitor, organist. Rut it was a constant 
grind for them to do that. There was a little 
Methodist parish right by the side of this Church 
of the Holy Innocents, which was not as wealthy 
as the Episcopal organization. This Methodist 
chapel paid $800 to its pastor and kept up 
heavier incidental and benevolent charges than 
its more pretentious neighbor. The rector of 
the Holy Innocents and I grew intimate. He 
told me that he had entered upon the ministry of 
that church with buoyant hopes. With his salary 
out of the financial pathway, there seemed noth¬ 
ing for him to do but to build up the Kingdom. 
But the harder he worked, the less he seemed to 


226 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

accomplish. He was a brilliant, cultured man, 
who could make and preach good sermons, but he 
accomplished nothing. I attended a service one 
October evening. The audience consisted of the 
choir, the organist, the janitor, three genteel old 
ladies, two extra genteel old gentlemen, a discon¬ 
solate little girl, and myself. We had a fine ser¬ 
mon. He had asked me to come into the vestry 
at the close of the service, and I did so. While 
he was disrobing, he said: 

" 'Mr. Green, let us go to Talfair’s church on 
Angle Street. It will not close for a half-hour.’ 

"When we got out on the street, we could hear 
Talfair preaching a block away. Dr. Cole said: 

" 'Talfair takes his missionary collection to¬ 
night. I often drop in on him after my service 
is out. He is achieving ten times the results that 
I can report. I want you to see him in action on 
the same night you see me. After his service, we 
are all three going to my study for a little talk.’ 

"Talfair closed very shortly after we got into 
the church. He called for a collection and re¬ 
ceived over $50 from the audience which crowded 
the house. Some of Dr. Cole’s people were there, 
he told me. After the service, it was only a short 
time until we were in Dr. Cole’s study. Talfair 
immediately asked: 

" 'How did you come out to-night, Brother 
Cole?’ 


CONCLUSION 


227 . 


“ ‘Ask Mr. Green/ wearily replied Cole. 

“I saw that this Episcopalian rector and 
Methodist preacher were on good terms, but it 
was difficult for me to say what was in my mind. 
Dr. Cole came to my rescue with: 

“ ‘Go ahead, Mr. Green; tell Mr. Talfair just 
what you saw at the Holy Innocents.’ 

“ ‘Well, I saw a choir faultlessly surpliced; I 
heard an exquisite voluntary solo by Mrs. Sil¬ 
vers; I heard a thoughtful sermon delivered with 
flawless diction.’ 

“ ‘What about the audience?’ mercilessly in¬ 
quired Dr. Cole. 

“ ‘Well, outside of the choir, the audience con¬ 
sisted of eight people, counting myself and the 
janitor.’ 

“ ‘There you are!’ exclaimed Cole to Talfair, 
resignedly. Talfair turned to me, and very 
gently remarked: 

“ ‘Dr. Cole is pretty well discouraged with the 
outcome of his labors in his own vineyard. We 
have had a good many heart-to-heart talks on the 
subject. I know that Dr. Cole can preach all 
around me. His parish actually numbers more 
souls and possesses more wealth than mine, yet 
the contributions from my people actually ex¬ 
ceed the apportionment. Dr. Cole has his theory; 
maybe he wants to tell it.’ I interposed: 


228 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

“ ‘Possibly Dr. Cole spends too much time in 
study and does not visit his people enough.’ 

“ ‘He actually makes more pastoral calls than 
I do/ rejoined Talfair. 

“ ‘Yes, we have looked at it from every angle/ 
said Cole. ‘And I have concluded that it is the 
result of our endowed salary. It is a positive 
hindrance to our work. But you couldn’t con¬ 
vince our vestry of that fact. I determined to¬ 
night, before I started to preach, that I will not 
serve the Holy Innocents another year.’ And he 
made his word good. He went to a little church 
that was in debt, as soon as his year was out. 
They paid all expenses, met all benevolent 
claims, paid him his $800.00, and retired their 
debt.” 

“Then it is a blessing for a parish to be in a 
constant strain to meet financial obligations 4 ?” 

“Sounds paradoxical, doesn’t it 4 ? But I be¬ 
lieve that it is often true.” 

“Very well; now tell me of anything else in 
the book that you don’t like.” 

“Let me tell you of something I do like. That 
is your style of relating the experiences of the 
converts in your book. Modern writers of evan¬ 
gelical experiences have a way of searching for 
unusual nomenclature. I like the old words, 
‘penitence,’ ‘conviction/ ‘conversion.’ It ought 
to be made easy for one to find Christ, on account 


CONCLUSION 


229 

of the language of those who are pointing out 
the road. Whenever I am inquiring the road to 
any place, it makes me tired for one to palaver 
while directing me. Plain simplicity is the sys¬ 
tem for me.” 

' Have you anything, Elijah, that you would 
like to say on the modus operandi of conver¬ 
sion?” 

“I think that the entire book is an attempt to 
show several of the different ways in which peo¬ 
ple have found Christ. The thing for every one 
who has an evangelical experience to remember 
is, that the particular manner, or place, or time, 
or system, or lack of system of the event must 
not be set up by himself as the way for others 
to find Christ. 

“Now, I was converted while a minister was 
praying for me in his private library; would I 
prescribe the same circumstances for the next 
inquirer? Nay, verily. But that is the very 
mistake so often made by good Christians. A 
respectable number believe that evangelical sal¬ 
vation comes at baptism; another large number 
have no use for a conversion which took place 
anywhere else than at the altar or ‘mourners’ 
bench’; still others look askance at the revival. 
Cyprian, and many other ancient Christians, 
found peace at baptism, which led to an undue 
emphasis upon that rite. I was once administer- 


230 ADVENTURES IN EVANGELISM 

ing the Holy Communion, when a lady became 
greatly affected, and praised God with fervor. 
I mentioned it to a friend of hers after the 
service, and he replied: 

“ ‘Yes, Sister Braswell always shouts at the 
Lord’s Table, because she was converted there.’ 
She had as good a right to demand that all others 
shall be converted at Communion as Cyprian had 
to expect that all others shall receive the change 
during the rite of baptism.” 

“Tell me just what you consider conversion 
to be.” 

“If I understand the subject, conversion is 
that evangelical experience in the Christian life 
where the individual appropriates the merits of 
the sacrificial death of Christ to his own indi¬ 
vidual case. This supreme event may occur at 
any place, and under any circumstances. That 
it frequently occurs during baptism or at the 
mourners’ bench is an argument in favor of those 
means for this end; but not to the exclusion of 
other and well-tested means of grace.” 

“I take it, then, that in the main, you are mod¬ 
erately well pleased with the book.” 

“Yes. I have read a preface somewhere, in 
which the author says to his readers: ‘I like this 
book immensely and trust that you may have the 
good taste to like it also.’ I could not have 
written quite those words, Ed, had I written the 


CONCLUSION 


231 


book, but in the main, I like it. Except ‘Thou 
Art the Man’ and ‘Here I Am, Mother,’ all of 
the chapters deal with events in my life. The 
things you have recorded are the things I have 
prayed, agonized, studied, worked for. The 
sweetest things in life that have ever come to 
me are here related. Absolutely nothing else 
counted for me. I would, at any time in my 
career, go through any hardship to lead a soul 
out of darkness into light. And still, in the 
seventy-fourth year of my body, and the forty- 
ninth year of my redeemed spirit, I would go 
anywhere and do anything to see a soul saved. 
Maybe the book will go on, bringing men to 
Christ, long after I have preached my last ser¬ 
mon. Let us pray for that, Ed.” 


THE END 



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